Picture Perfect
by Serenity05-2
Summary: (Continued from 2007). She doesn't understand where they went wrong. She always thought they were perfect for each other. Somehow she was wrong. Things are going to change and she'll make sure of it. Or she'll fight for custody and leave him. Most of all she wants to know why. Rated M for language and sexual situations.
1. Prologue

Hello everyone! If you aren't aware, the original author of this story is **Serenity05**. I published it back in 2007, but recently could not remember my password nor recovery email to access my stories again (it's been 9 years). Consider this **Serenity05 2.0** , I'm back from a very long hiatus and continuing my stories. They will be republished, and continued under this user. I know that in doing so I'll have lost all prior reviews, followers, and favorites, but that's all right. I hope to gain new ones.

As always, please remember to leave a review after you've finished reading. Constructive criticism is welcomed.  
 _\- xoxo, Crys (08.12.16)_

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"Picture Perfect"

Prologue

She had it all. Everything she had ever wanted, she managed to get. Her dream house was built for her, she had a wonderful daughter, and she had married the man of her dreams. He had given her everything she could ever need or want, and in return she had mothered his child.

Annabelle was their little princess of six years and counting. The picture perfect life, some would call it. They were the type that would host lavish parties and their guests would always grow envious of what they had. But really, no one knew what went on behind closed doors, because if they did, well it certainly was not something to be envious of.

They didn't get along; they didn't say "I love you", they didn't even try to comfort one another when things got rough. All of that had been a thing of the past. Now they fought endless fights and threatened each other without a single thought.

He always worked, whether it was at home doing paperwork, or at the Hospital. They were wealthy. She had no need to work and he wanted to keep it that way.

He was distant and she was confused.

It seemed as though Annabelle was the only thing holding them together. If it weren't for her they would have long since gotten their divorce. He loved his little princess and Serena knew she couldn't keep him from her. But then again, she didn't really want to. Every girl needs a father, and he was it.

She loved him, but she also wanted the feeling returned. So she created the illusion that he was stress and didn't actually hate her. Though that illusion was growing weary.

 _End Prologue_

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Chapter 2 will be republished shortly, thank you for reading.  
\- _xoxo, Crys (08.12.16)_


	2. Chapter 1

If you've previously read my original publishing of this story under the username Serenity05, I'd like to point out that I've made some changes to each chapter, and they you may want to read these over. No major changes in the early chapters, just minor details added. Chapter 6 is complete, and I will upload it as soon as I've edited and uploaded the remaining chapters.

Remember to review. :)

 _\- xoxo, Crys (08.13.12)_

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"Picture Perfect"

Chapter 1

Serena Shields stood staring at her reflection in her full-length mirror. She frowned. She looked like the picture perfect wife and mother; clad in black slacks, a white button up shirt, and black heels, accompanied by a set of pearls. When had she become so reserved? Where had all her spunk gone?

She no longer had her meatballs like she did when she was younger. Her hair was now the length of mid-back and it was held up with a simple clip, leaving only a few strands framing her face. She had begun to wear makeup years before but wasn't too fond of the women that wore a profound amount. So she kept hers light, but noticeable. She was still beautiful, but also different.

Looking away from her mirror to the silver watch on her wrist, she noted it was 8:00 Am. Time to wake Annabelle. She slowly exited her room and began walking down the hall to her daughter's room; only the soft clicking of her heels on the wooden floor was heard throughout the large house.

Once she reached Annabelle's room she stopped mid-step and stared at her daughters sleeping form. She truly was an angel. Her daddy's little princess and Serena's pride and joy. Neither one of them could even begin to fathom what a life without her would be like.

"Annabelle," Serena called as she walked over to her daughters bedside. "Annabelle honey, it's time to get up," she said softly, lightly shaking her side.

"Five more minutes," was her daughter's barely audible reply as she pulled the covers over her head.

"Annabelle Elizabeth Shields, out of bed this instant," she said sternly as she walked over to her closet and pulled it open.

Annabelle groaned, unmoving.

"Come on, sleepyhead, hurry up and get dressed or you'll miss your bus." She said while contemplating on what to choose for her daughter. _'So many blues,'_ she thought examining her daughter's wardrobe. Her obsession had been pinks and whites when she was younger, while her daughter's were blues and whites. Blues currently overpowering the whites.

Serena grinned when she found the perfect outfit. She turned; setting a navy blue polo and jean skirt on Annabelle's bed and prepared to take her leave.

Turning to leave, Annabelle's voice abruptly stopped her.

"Mommy," Annabelle said quietly while getting out of bed, her raven colored hair toppled every which way. "Where's daddy?" she asked unaware of how perturbed the question made her mother.

Serena contemplated on what to say for a moment. "Daddy's at work, honey." She paused. "He'll be home later."

All lies. Truth was; Serena had no idea where her husband was. He hadn't come home the night before, but she hadn't thought much of it. Though really, he had never pulled something as vast as not coming home before. But she couldn't bring herself to assume why he hadn't come home. Or maybe it was just the reality that she didn't really want to know for the time being.

"Hurry up and get ready while I make your lunch." Serena articulated as she made her way down stairs to the kitchen. ' _Things are going to change around here,_ ' Serena thought angrily as she made her way to the refrigerator; grabbing the ingredients to Annabelle's lunch.

This wasn't how it was supposed to be. Serena wasn't supposed to have to lie to her daughter about where her father was. Thank god the child hadn't asked why he hadn't come home. Serena had enough sense to figure out that Annabelle knew he hadn't come home at all. Usually, he was the one to tuck her in and tell her there was no boogeyman under her bed, and that if there happened to be one, he'd protect her. Sometimes he would come in maybe twenty minutes after she went to bed so Serena would have to tuck her in, but no later. It was hard enough for Serena to come up with such a simple reply, imagine a complicated one.

Fifteen minutes had gone by and Serena had managed to finish packing Annabelle's lunch without jamming the knife she held right into the counter. She was so frustrated! Every time she thought about him not coming home she wanted to hit something. How dare he.

Serena pushed the urge aside as best she could, calmed herself, and was ready to go. She walked out of the kitchen towards the staircase in the middle of the room to find her daughter descending the stairs like the princess her father made her believe she was. ' _Definitely daddy's little princess,_ ' she thought, grinning.

Darien had dubbed her their little princess the day she was born. Serena still remembered the look on his face when he first saw her; he had that look of pure love and awe that every father got when they first saw their new addition to the family.

"Ready?" she asked as she watched Annabelle jump off the last step.

"Yep!" she exclaimed with a smile as she grabbed her lunch bag while Serena went and grabbed her book bag off of a near by chair. Serena grasped Annabelle's hand and led her out of the big entrance door to their house, swiftly shutting it afterwards. Hand in hand, they both continued down the long driveway to their gate where Annabelle's bus was waiting.

Noticing Annabelle's bus waiting patiently, Serena quickly kneeled down. "Have a good day and I'll see you when you get home, okay?" she said softly, as she put her backpack on.

"Okay," Annabelle murmured, giving Serena a hug and a kiss. "I love you, mommy."

Serena couldn't help but smile. Her daughter was such a precious little thing. "I love you, too. Now get going." She said while quickly nudging Annabelle towards her bus. Serena watched her bus pull away and waved until it was out of view.

Sighing, she then turned back towards her house and took it all in for what seemed like the first time. It was huge. Two stories tall with seven bedrooms, four bathrooms, two offices, a bar, an entertainment room, living room, dining room, kitchen, and a swimming pool. If that wasn't enough, the swimming pool was accompanied by its own bathroom and a pool house.

She had by no means been bothered by the size, but now it all seemed pointless. It was no more than herself, Darien, and Annabelle. Why all the space?

Serena shook her head and strolled back up the driveway to her house. When she re-entered her home it was filled with silence; only the soft echo of the closing door behind her broke through the silence.

What to do, what to do?

Being a stay at home mother wasn't all that it was cracked up to be. It was boring. Serena envied Darien. He got to work while she stayed at home all day long and did absolutely nothing. It wasn't that bad when Annabelle was younger, because that gave Serena something to do. But now that she was in school all Serena had was free time.

The woman wanted to work so badly it was killing her. Serena had always wanted to be either a Lawyer or a Doctor. She had went to college, gotten the proper degrees, and had everything all planned out. But Darien had insisted that she stay home for Annabelle.

So she did, and she threw away her dream.

It wasn't Annabelle's fault though. They could have easily hired a Nanny. But no, Darien and his "My wife's never going to compete with my profession" crap kept her from her dream.

He was a terrific Doctor, a loving father, but a horrible husband. Serena didn't think she could take anymore of his verbal abuse. Sure, she fought back and said some hurtful things too, but his comments hurt a lot more than hers did. She missed her old Darien. The man she fell in love with and married. She had the strongest feeling that he didn't love her anymore. And it hurt.

It was time to call the one person she knew could help her figure out what to do. It was time to call her childhood best friend, Raye. Fortunately for Serena, the woman had doubled as her best friend and therapist in her times of need.

Serena slowly walked into the kitchen and grabbed the phone, but before Serena could dial Raye's number, she heard the front gate open and a car pull up in their driveway. She walked to the window and saw that it was Darien. He was finally home.

She watched him exit his car and hurriedly walked to the door, opening it before he could grasp the handle. "Where the hell have you been?!" she asked with irritation evident in her voice as she blocked his way into their home. There was no way he was getting in without an explanation. She deserved that much.

Darien just stared at her. "Move." He said firmly.

Serena glared at him. How dare he! "Excuse me?!" she shouted. Her breaking point was definitely coming, and she could feel it. "Move?! Answer my goddamn question Darien!" she screamed, standing her ground.

"Serena, do not start something you cannot finish. Now _move._ " He said forcibly while trying to contain his rising anger. She just didn't know when to shut up and move.

Serena stood her ground. "I'm not afraid of you, Darien." She said flatly. There was no way she was going to let him walk all over her. No sire, he'd have another thing coming.

"Serena," he said through clenched teeth, "Do not fuck with me honey. I said move so, you better move."

"No." she sneered, sounding a lot tougher than she actually felt.

Big mistake; wrong thing to say.

Darien shoved Serena out of the way and slammed the door behind him, then walked over to where she was leaning against the wall. His eyes looked as if they were burning with fire. One would think he was about to kill.

"I don't have to tell you anything, _Serena_. Next time, keep your nose out of other peoples business." He scowled, only mere inches away from her face.

Serena glared at him. "I'm your _wife;_ I have a right to know."

"Wrong, Serena. Just because you are my wife doesn't mean you are entitled to know where I am every minute of the day."

 _'Well it used to.'_ she thought to herself sadly. "You never came home." She whispered softly, while slightly tearing up, hoping he wouldn't notice.

Those tears, they weren't because he hadn't come home. No, it was because she was scared. She had seen him pissed off plenty times before, sure. But he had never actually gotten in her face. She was petrified. She knew she couldn't handle him if it ever came to the point where she had to.

Darien quickly snapped his head away from her face and turned to walk away. He had scared her and he knew it. He was disappointed in himself.

"Where is she?" he spoke more calmly now, eyeing the floor.

Serena knew he was referring to Annabelle. "She just left for school about a half an hour ago."

He nodded and made his way up the stairs.

Serena watched him climb the stairs and held back the tears she had made the mistake of letting him see. She began walking towards the kitchen for the phone but stopped.

"Darien?" she called after him.

He sighed once he reached the top of the stairs. "Yes Serena?" he asked as he turned towards her.

Serena paused. What was she going to say? 'Oh, well are you going to tell me where you were or not?' It was made clear he had no interest in doing just that, so why push the matter? "Never mind." She mumbled, walking into the kitchen.

Darien stared at where she had stood just a moment ago. ' _Typical._ ' He thought before making his way to his office.

* * *

Serena took a deep refreshing breath and picked up the phone, quickly dialing Raye's number. A simple, "Hello?" was heard on the other end.

"Raye, it's Serena, are you busy this afternoon?" she asked, staring at an old photo of her and Darien hanging on their kitchen wall. They looked so happy, and so in love. Things had really changed.

"No, I'm not busy." There was a pause. "Why? You want to do something?"

Serena nodded but quickly realized that Raye couldn't see her. "I was thinking maybe you could come over and we could go out to lunch. I just really need some advice. What do you say?" she asked, hopeful that her raven-haired best friend would agree and come to her rescue.

On the other end of the phone, Raye was beaming. It had been awhile since they had gotten a chance to hang out. Of course, she would love to. "Sure, Serena! Can't wait! What time do you want me to come over?"

"Well what time would be good for you?" Serena let out a bitter laugh before continuing, "I've got nothing but free time."

"Hmm…" the former priestess pondered, "I could be there in about an hour and we could just hang out and then go to lunch a little later, if you want." Raye offered, fumbling around her purse for her car keys.

Serena held back a chuckle, hearing the familiar noise. Raye was a particularly very organized person, but for some reason the one thing she always lost, was her keys. "Okay," Serena murmured, "That's perfect. Thanks a lot, Raye. I'll see you then."

Raye frowned, still unable to find her keys. She sighed, shortly ending the call so that her full attention could be on finding those damned keys. "You got it. Bye."

Serena smiled and hung up the phone. She really needed someone to talk to about her… how to put it? _Problems._ If Raye was lucky, Serena wouldn't go insane until _after_ she got there.

Taking a deep breath, Serena made her way up the stairs to her room. God these stairs were becoming a pain in the ass. She briefly passed Darien's office on the way and saw him doing some type of paper work. "Workaholic," she mumbled to herself.

"I heard that." He called after her with a smirk.

"Good." She shot back.

 _End Chapter 1_

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Thank you for reading! Chapter 2 will be posted after I get home from work later on.

- _xoxo, Crys (08.13.16)_


	3. Chapter 2

Here's Chapter 2 for you guys. It's been edited quite a bit, as I said it would be. Some minor details have been changed. (i.e. it's been more than just a few months since Serena and Darien have been on bad terms.) Enjoy!

\- _xoxo, Crys (08.13.16)_

* * *

"Picture Perfect"

Chapter 2

Darien sat at his desk upstairs, trying to focus on some minor paperwork he needed to complete, but he found himself thinking about the night before, unable to shake the awful feeling that he still had. Late last night, Dr. Shields had lost one of his patients; the woman unfortunately passed away during labor. It wasn't his first loss – there had been a few before - but it still managed to get to him just as it had the first time. Being a doctor had its ups and downs, and losing someone was an all-time down.

Every loss – hopefully summing to very few – was etched into your head. You remembered them all. Darien hadn't lost very many patients, maybe at most, three in all of his years of working as a doctor. But the fact of the matter was; he had lost three too many, and it angered him every time.

Darien always had to deliver the bad news to the patient's family, and it was hard. The days when he helped out with the women about to give birth were heartbreaking. Losing a woman after she gave birth was the absolute hardest thing to tell a family. Having to tell them that the newborn wouldn't ever have the chance of meeting their mother was truly _painful_. He couldn't imagine the pain they felt; Serena had a very quick and routine labor with his daughter, he was lucky.

But he continued on with his job. _You can't save everybody,_ he used to tell himself.

That was why he hadn't come home, and that was why he was so pissed off. He had lost a young woman of about twenty-two years of age last night while she gave birth to her new daughter. The husband was completely devastated. Darien had only lost one other mother before. But she was in her fifties, so it wasn't as completely heartbreaking, considering she had lived a good majority of her life. But _twenty-two._ How could the world be so cruel? The young woman hadn't even lived a third of her life yet. It was just unbelievable how someone so young wouldn't be able to experience a full life.

So in the midst of his despair, he ran to the nearest thing that he thought that could take his mind off of his loss. _Christina._

Christina was his secretary. She was a slut and everyone knew it. She watched Darien like a hawk and she wanted him – badly. At the time, Darien created the illusion that he needed her. So it was okay to screw around a little bit, right? He gave her what she wanted, and it was comforting to him. It took his mind off of his horrible night.

He felt no guilt. No regret. No shame. It was just sex.

After Serena had passed by his office, he wondered if she would ever find out. ' _Probably not,_ ' he mused. He had never slept with another woman while married to her. But in reality, he didn't really care if she found out. At least that's what he convinced himself of.

Darien was brought out of his thoughts when he heard his cell phone ring at the edge of his desk. He looked at the caller ID and noticed it was his best friend, Andrew, so he picked it up. Any other call would've been ignored.

"Hello?"

"Hey Darien, no work today?" Andrew asked from the other end.

"I decided to stay home today… paper work and all, you know?"

"I hear you, man." Andrew paused. "So I've got something I want to talk to you about. You busy right now?"

Darien looked down at his paper work and frowned, it could wait. "No."

"Excellent. I'm coming over then. You'll want to hear this in person."

Furrowing his brow, the ebony-haired man thought of what it could possibly be. Andrew wasn't the type to hold things in until he was face to face with someone. "Alright, I'll see you soon I guess. Bye Andrew."

"Yeah, bye."

Darien hung up the phone and thought about what Andrew wanted to talk about. If he wanted to tell him in person, it must be important. Or maybe Andrew was exaggerating a little. ' _Guess I'll have to wait and see._ '

All of a sudden, Darien heard Serena squeal, breaking the silence, and saw her run past his office. He quirked an eyebrow at her sudden excitement and got up to follow her. After their episode he couldn't imagine what she could possibly be excited about.

"Raye, Raye, Raye, Raye, Raye!" she squealed, running down the steps to their front door.

Before the fiery priestess could even put her hand up to knock on the door, it was thrown open, and the bubbly blonde jumped into her arms. Raye was confused at first, but returned the hug full-force. "It's been awhile, huh?"

Serena smile and pulled back. "Yeah, too long."

Raye nodded and followed Serena into the house, taking in its modern decor. "Wow. Not much has changed here. Feels like it was just yesterday."

"Well I try to keep things the same you know? I don't care much for change."

Raye nodded and looked towards the staircase, where she saw Darien walking down with an impassible expression plastered on his face.

"Hey Darien!" she smiled, greeting the ebony-haired man. "It's been a long time, huh?"

Darien nodded and glanced at Serena, who had become rather interested in her shoes as he came to stand right in front of her. "Serena?" he posed the unspoken request for an explanation.

"I was going to tell you when she got here." She said quietly, avoiding his gaze.

Darien raised a questionable eyebrow at her. "There's no need. Raye is always welcome here." He turned his attention back to Raye once he saw Serena look up at him with questioning eyes. She hadn't expected him to be so calm. "So Raye, how have you been all this time?"

Raye looked a little confused. She had never seen Serena so… uncomfortable around him. "Uh… oh, everything's been great Darien. How about you and Serena?"

Darien smirked, but she hadn't seemed to notice. "We're as happy as ever." He said wrapping his arms around her waist, and laying his head on her shoulder. "Aren't we Serena?" he asked, silently daring her to say otherwise.

Serena stiffened, and he seemed to get a kick out of it. "Yeah, we've been perfect." She replied, while fighting off the urge to lift her leg with all she had, and jam it right into his groin. ' _Bastard._ ' He was playing with her.

Darien, sensing her shifting weight quickly pecked her on the cheek and backed up, but not before whispering, "Not so fast, _sweetheart._ " In her ear.

"Well, I'll leave you two girls to chat now." Darien said as he began towards the stairs. "Oh and Raye, it was very nice seeing you again. Don't be a stranger now." he said before ascending the stairs.

Raye smiled and then turned her attention back to Serena. "I so know there's a pool here. So… are we going to?"

Serena let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, and smiled at Raye. She knew she loved to swim and she knew she couldn't deny her unspoken request. "Did you bring a suit?"

Raye beamed and pointed towards her bag. "You know it."

"Alright then, let's go change. Follow me."

* * *

Serena had led Raye to one of the guest bathrooms and told her she could change in there and that she'd be in the next room over. Raye nodded and gently closed the door after Serena exited.

Serena made her way to her room to change. She shuffled through her drawers to find the new suit she had just bought. "Ah hah!" she declared in triumph as she found the suit. It was a black two piece bikini that showed off her splendid figure and complimented her breasts greatly. She quietly closed her door and quickly removed her clothing before putting the bikini on. ' _Perfect._ ' She thought as she looked herself over in the mirror. Simple, but sexy.

Serena heard a knock on her door and heard Raye's voice on the other side. "Just a minute." She called, while she grabbed two towels out of her closet and made her way to the door.

"Ready?" she asked stepping outside.

Raye nodded, clad in a crimson red two piece, similar to Serena's. "Yep."

"Kay, lets go then." Serena said as she made her way down stairs and out to the pool, Raye in tow.

"I totally forgot about the hot tub!" Raye exclaimed in awe, as they entered onto the pool deck. She had always been slightly jealous of how Serena's life had turned out. Her relationship with Jadeite had been nothing short of rocky, and now she was currently single. "God, Serena, you really made your dream come true, huh? All of this, a beautiful daughter, and Darien. I'm Envious Serena. Envious."

Serena couldn't stand it. ' _And Darien?_ ' she questioned herself. God, Raye had no clue. No clue at all as to what _hell_ he was bringing upon her. "Raye, we really need to talk." She said softly, while getting into the hot tub after Raye, whom had long since leaped in. ' _Twenty-six and still full of life._ ' She thought to herself. Her best friend was still as fiery as ever. Darien, however, had taken the fire out of Serena.

Raye glanced at her friend and noticed her sudden unhushed tears. "Serena?" Raye questioned, moving to sit next to her. "Serena, what's wrong?" she asked, concern evident in her tone.

Serena looked up at Raye who had pure concern written all over her features. "Raye, I can't take it anymore. I don't know what to do, or what happened. I just – god Raye I don't know! I want everything the way it used to be. I'm tired of the _picture perfect_ life!"

Raye was certainly confused, looking wide-eyed at her blonde companion. "Whoa, whoa, come on Serena slow down, honey. Take a deep breath." She suggested, therapeutically.

Serena nodded and did as she was told., but it wasn't easy.

"Now, what's the matter? Are you stressed?" pausing for only a moment, Raye continued, "Is it Annabelle? Is she too much to handle?"

Serena's head shot up. "No, no, no!" she protested, "Annabelle's great. She's such a good kid, Raye. It's not her. It's-it's…"

"It's what Serena?" Raye prodded.

Serena spat the word as if it burned to speak it. " _Darien_."

Raye faltered for a moment. "Dar-Darien?" she asked unbelievably.

Serena nodded.

The raven-haired woman couldn't believe her ears. Darien was the last thing she expected to have been bothering her friend. He had been so polite, coming down stairs to greet her. "But he was just-"

"He was _acting,_ Raye. And he's goddamn lucky I didn't plant my heel in his groin! Cocky son of a bitch." She scowled. God would she like to show him.

Raye was silent. She was confused and had no clue what the hell she should say. So she started with a simple, yet dim, question. "Acting?"

Serena felt like literally knocking some sense into Raye at that moment. "My god and you're supposed to be a therapist?!"

"Hey, hey, hey! Let's not bash my profession now! I'm just confused, that's all. You talk a damn mile a minute, so how about you _explain_." Raye countered. Details. The woman needed details.

"Explain? You want me to explain?" Serena questioned, almost amused. "Get comfortable then."

Raye shot Serena a look. That sounded like something Raye would say to her patients. But nonetheless, she complied and made herself comfortable in the warm hot tub.

"Comfortable?" Serena asked.

Raye nodded, gesturing her to continue.

"Okay, so,"

 _End Chapter 2_

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Chapter 3 will be posted in the very near future, thank you for reading.

\- _xoxo, Crys (08.13.16)_


	4. Chapter 3

This chapter has been edited quite a lot from it's original publishing, so please take the time to reread it. You will miss important key details if you do not. Let me know how you like or dislike the changes.

\- _xoxo, Crys (08.14.16)_

* * *

"Picture Perfect"

Chapter 3

"Okay, well, to put it simply, Darien has been a complete _asshole_ ever since our miscarriage last year. He took it even worse than I did, and I'm sure you remember, I was completely devastated. We both wanted another baby, and we had been looking forward it so badly once we had found out that I was pregnant again."

Raye frowned, remembering Serena's hysterical crying over the phone at 3am when she had gotten the news of her miscarriage last year. Out of the other girls, Raye was the first one she called. She was 5 months pregnant, and she and Darien were about to find out the sex of their baby. It was truly heartbreaking. "Do you think he blames you or something, Serena? The doctor said it wasn't your fault, there was nothing you could have done differently - you had no control over the situation."

Serena shook her head, she really had no idea what had caused the sudden change in Darien's demeanor. Did he blame her? She didn't know. She couldn't read him anymore, it was like he was a completely different person.

Raye stayed silent for a moment, before posing her next question. "Can you explain to me some of the ways that his character has changed? He seemed just fine to me earlier, but I'll take your word for it that he was putting on an act in my presence."

"For starters, Raye, he's not a nice person anymore. Not in the slightest. He's vindictive, sometimes downright ruthless." Serena paused, making sure she had Raye's complete attention before continuing. "We fight like you have no idea, Raye. I mean _all_ the time. Today wasn't too bad before you got here, but he _actually_ got in my face Raye. It was scary; he's never done that before. You know Darien, he was never one to disrespect a woman. I don't know what the _hell_ his problem was, but he just flipped out. It wasn't like he had a reason to, either. I wanted to know where the hell he was last night, because fyi he didn't come home, so I asked; but no, can you just ask Darien that? Hell no, he'll look you dead in your face and say that just because you're his wife doesn't mean you're entitled to know where he is every minute of the day. I mean god forbid I want to know where my husband is, right? I mean please, kill me for caring!"

"Serena, are you leaving something out? I don't really think he would get in your face just for asking." Raye urged, having a hunch that she was indeed leaving pieces out. She knew from being a therapist, that when people had problems, they had the tendency to leave a few important details out, intentionally or not.

Serena shot her a look, but answered nonetheless. Damn her and her profession. "Okay, fine. So _I_ started screaming at him before he said a word. So _I_ wouldn't let him in our house. So _what_? He hadn't come home, I deserved an answer. That doesn't justify his actions, Raye. I had to lie to our daughter when she asked where her daddy was when he wasn't home to tuck her in. I had a right to approach him the way that I did."

The raven-haired woman looked at her friend with incredulous eyes. "Really Serena? You really think so? So what you're saying is," she began, "He was just supposed to sit there and take it? What did you honestly think he was going to do, turn around and go find another house to stay in?"

Serena shook her head. " _No,_ but I didn't expect him to flip out, Raye."

Raye raised an eyebrow at her unbelievably. She started it, but didn't think he would react the way he did? My god this woman was in denial. Don't ever poke the bear if you can't handle the outcome of such an action. "Serena, are you on crack?" it was a rhetorical question, she was slipping into friend mode, and momentarily leaving her therapeutic post.

Serena was baffled, sitting there with her mouth wide open, flapping her lips like a fish. Crack? Serena didn't even leave the damn house. How the hell would she get crack? It's not even like she knew anyone who could bring it to her house. And why the _hell_ would she even think about doing crack anyway? "No, Raye!" she bit back after regaining her composure. "I am not on crack! God, whose side are you on?!" she demanded, the fact that it was a joke and a rhetorical one at that, clearly going over her head.

"Yours Serena, but come on. You're not thinking about _your_ actions and the domino affect they have. Cause and effect, Serena. Every action has a reaction."

Serena glared daggers at Raye, not willing to admit it may have slightly been her fault. "My actions are justified."

Raye fought off the urge to laugh. "How so?"

"Shut up, Raye." She wasn't going to argue with her. She wasn't her, so she would never understand her relationship with Darien recently, without experiencing it for herself, or at least witnessing it. Neither of which she had.

Frowning, Raye moved on to another question. "Has Annabelle witnessed any of these fights?"

Serena shook her head. "No, thank god, she hasn't. Darien's the perfect father around her. We can be fighting one minute, then when he sees her the next minute, his mood completely changes. I don't get it, Raye."

Serena look defeated. The man she had married didn't exist anymore. In his place, was a hateful, loathing, angry man.

Raye felt bad for Serena. She knew Darien was her whole world, and she had never expected Serena to come to her about something like this. Those two seemed to have the perfect life together. "Can you tell me about another fight you've had with him recently? I want to compare the happenings."

Serena pondered the subject for a minute. "Well, a week or two ago, I wanted to get away for awhile, so I told him I was going to take Annabelle and go on vacation for a few days. But he hadn't liked the idea and he started yelling about how I didn't care about her school career or anything that was important to him or her. Where he got that idea, I don't know. But he got angry and said some really idiotic things about our past when we were in school. Some shit about how my grades dropped like bricks if I ever missed school, and he didn't want that for Annabelle. He said we could wait until her break which was like four months away. I got mad, yelled, you know, the usual."

Raye coughed. "Serena, have you ever considered that you're part of the problem? I mean you fight back just like he does. What do you expect?"

"I get that, Raye. I do. And I really don't care about that. I want to know why he turned cold all of a sudden. I mean you remember, we were inseparable when we were younger. We couldn't get enough of each other. And now all of the sudden we can't stand each other? Why is that, Raye? I just don't get it. Has he fallen out of love with me? Because it certainly seems that way. And if that's the case, I'd like to know."

"Well," Raye said, titling her head to the side in deep thought. She wanted to give Serena a comforting answer, but the truth was, she didn't know. "I can't answer that. People drift apart-"

"But they don't loath each other with everything they have; not after being hopelessly in love with each other for so many years."

Raye shot Serena look, she had a point, but Raye wasn't finished with hers yet. The look she shot her meant big trouble if she interrupted her again. "As I was saying - people drift apart all the time. Okay, sure, they don't hate each other; I'll give you that one. But you forget, you don't know how he feels. From what you've told me, you two haven't really sat down to talk about things. So there is a possibility you are just drifting apart from one another. It could be something more, but I honestly can't say. I don't know how he feels Serena, but I'm sure he doesn't hate you."

There was silence. Serena knew she had a point. But her gut feeling that he hated her got the best of her, and she broke down. She was supposed to be strong; to not cry and work this through. But it was difficult, and it was about time she gave out while she had someone there to help her.

Why did she still love him? After all of this, she should hate him. Shouldn't she? So why does she still get that heart-fluttering feeling when she sees him playing with Annabelle, or when she sees his face light up at the sight of his princess? Motherly love for Annabelle? No… it's more than that, and she knows it. It's _him_. Everything that is him - or was, him. She loved that man beyond measure.

"Is it wrong Raye… to love him after all of this?"

Raye thought about it. "No, Serena. Of course not." she said softly. "It's not wrong. If you love someone, you can't control that. It's not wrong to love him. That's all you've ever done, and that feeling won't just go away over night."

Serena's tears managed to subside momentarily. Darien had been her everything for as long as she could remember, she couldn't see herself loving any other man, nor could she see Annabelle having a step-father. "Thanks, Raye. I really appreciate what you're doing. I don't think I could have survived one more day without talking to someone about this."

Raye smiled and gave her a hug. "I'll always be here for you, Serena. Next time, please don't wait so long to reach out to me. I love you, you're practically family and you know that. I will always been here to help you, no matter what." Truth was, she hadn't spoken to Serena much since her miscarriage. She figured she and Darien wanted time to grieve together, so she didn't think anything of it. Knowing what she knew now, she wished she had put in more effort to see her best friend.

Serena managed to catch a faint knocking sound at their front door, interrupting her now heart-to-heart with her best friend. ' _Darien will get it._ ' she mused.

Knocking.

More constant knocking.

"Uh… Serena, are you going to get that?" Raye asked, feeling awkward that the person outside was evidently being ignored by the two owners of the house.

"God damn it, Darien." Serena scowled, as she got out of the hot tub and quickly dried herself off. "I'll be right back, Raye." She said leaving for the door.

Upon entering the house, Serena saw Darien just now exiting his office, busy straightening his black tie against his white shirt. "Incapable of getting the door, Darien?" she questioned irritably, as she opened it herself.

"How may I help y-" stopping mid-sentence, after realizing who it was, Serena gasped. "Andrew!" she squealed, jumping into his arms and embracing the sandy-haired man.

Andrew smiled. ' _Same old Serena._ '

"Nice seeing you too, Serena." he laughed, returning her embrace while giving her one good spin. She loved it. He knew it reminded her of their younger years when she would jump into his arms after a few days of not being able to see him. He was like a big brother to her.

Andrew put Serena down and she was still beaming, full of joy. "It's so good to see you again, Andrew. God it seems like it's been _years_ -"

"Serena, could you leave us?" Darien interrupted, coming up behind her. "Andrew has something important he wanted to tell me."

Serena frowned. She hadn't seen Andrew in so long. "But Darien I haven't se-"

"Serena." he said sternly, cutting her off. He needed to know what it was that Andrew was keeping from him until they were face to face.

Serena nodded sadly, and gave Andrew an apologetic look. "Uhm… well it was nice seeing you again, Andrew." She said, giving him another quick hug and turning to leave.

"Oh by the way," she said, stopping shortly. "Raye's here."

Andrew nodded. Another friend he hadn't seen in forever. "I'll come out before I leave."

Serena smiled and made her way back outside to the hot tub.

"What was that about?" Andrew asked, peering around the corner to make sure she was out of ears shot.

Darien frowned. "You know we haven't been getting along, Andrew."

Andrew smirked. He was well aware of the matter. "Almost forgot."

"Shut up and come on." Darien said, leading him upstairs to his office.

"So, what did you want to tell me?" he asked sitting in the chair behind his desk.

Andrew took a seat on the couch directly in front of Darien's desk before asking, "You know that Christina chick, your secretary?"

Darien's face was expressionless. "I do."

Andrew smirked. "Well, that whore has been going on and on about how she got you to sleep with her last night. She's spreading it all around the hospital, Darien."

Darien said nothing.

"What if Serena finds out, Darien?"

"She won't." he said flatly, overly confident in his answer.

"Darien how can you be so sure-"

"Andrew," Darien interrupted, "Serena never leaves the house. There's no way she'd ever find out."

"Alright man… if you say so." Andrew murmured, leaning back into the couch. "So when's the last time you and Serena… you know?"

Darien shot Andrew a look. "Now why in the hell would I tell you that?" He had never been one to really go into detail about his sex life with his wife.

"Well, you really must have been desperate to screw that bimbo. I mean come on, she's a total slut, Darien. So I figured Serena stopped giving you any."

"Nice way to put it, smartass. And what my wife and I do is none of your business."

Andrew couldn't help it, he laughed out loud. "Yeah, but what you and Christina do is everybody's business, correct?"

Darien scowled and threw a pen at him. "Shut up, asshole. She's a whore and it was a one time thing."

Andrew grinned. "Whatever you say, Dar."

* * *

"Andrews here," Serena said excitedly, as she got back into the hot tub with Raye and sat down.

"Really?" Raye asked, a small smile plastered on her lips. "Is he going to come out for a bit?"

Serena nodded. "He said he'd stop by before he left."

It was quiet for a moment. "Hey Serena," Raye asked, "Do you still have that high school crush on him?" she asked, trying her best to choke down the laugh that threatened to escape.

"What?!" Serena exclaimed in embarrassment, "I'm married! Plus that crush only lasted like a year!"

Raye couldn't hold it in any longer, she immediately started laughing uncontrollably at Serena's reddened face.

"Whore." Serena mumbled.

"Hey! I heard that!" Raye exclaimed slightly offended.

Serena smiled innocently. "Raye honey, I think you're hearing what you want to hear."

Raye made a 'humph' sound before biting back. "You think I want to hear someone call me a whore?"

"Kinky." Was all Serena said in return.

Raye chuckled. She and Jadeite had been nothing short of kinky when they were together. Raye liked the unusual. And Serena knew that. "So, I was thinking about Darien and what you said,"

At the mention of Darien, Serena gave Raye her undivided attention. She needed the advice. Badly.

Raye shifted in her watery seat. "Well," she began, "I think that you should just go with the flow. Try not to piss him off, we all know you can have a serious attitude problem sometimes - show him that you still love him, Serena. Maybe he'll get it through his head and realize that he still loves you, and that every couple has their hard times."

"And if he doesn't?" asked Serena.

Raye paused. "Leave him, if that's what you feel you need to do, if that's what will make you happy again. All you can do is try, Serena."

Serena looked toward her husbands office window, weighing her options. She could do this, couldn't she? She could show him. No problem. Darien had fallen in love with Serena for many reasons, not just one. Maybe he just needed a little reminding of what those reasons were.

At least, that's what she hoped.

 _End Chapter 3_

* * *

How was it? Be sure to leave a review. Chapter 4 is being edited and will be republished most likely later today. Thanks for reading!

\- _xoxo, Crys (08.14.16)_


	5. Chapter 4

Decided to quickly edit Chapter 4, as there weren't many changes to be made. The long awaited Chapter 5 will be posted later tonight, so keep an eye out. As always, thanks for reading!

\- _xoxo, Crys (08.14.16)_

* * *

"Picture Perfect"

Chapter 4

Andrew remained seated on the couch in Darien's office, silently staring at him. He couldn't quite get his head around the way Darien's mind worked. Especially with the whole Christina ordeal. He knew _why_ Darien did it. But to him that wasn't a good reason. And he was sure if Serena found out; it wouldn't be a good reason to her either.

Even though they had been best friends for practically half of their lives, Andrew didn't always agree with everything his long time friend did. And cheating on Serena – of all people – was not something he was happy about. She was like a little sister to him.

The fact that Darien didn't seem to really care about Christina spreading rumors, wasn't what he had expected. If she didn't end it, Serena was going to find out. Even if it _was_ a one time thing – a one night stand - if Serena found out, he _was_ going to lose her.

But then again, maybe that's just what he needs. A dose of reality. He doesn't seem to care much for her now, anyway. Maybe he deserves to lose her.

"Andrew?"

The blonde haired man shifted his gaze to meet his companions. They had both been in thought for the past few minutes. "Hmm?" he murmured, not very interested in whatever he had to say.

"Does Amy still work at the Hospital? I haven't seen much of her lately." Darien questioned. He really hadn't seen much of that girl anymore. It's like she just vanished.

Andrew didn't see his point. Why would he care about one of Serena's friends? Nonetheless, he answered. "I believe so, yes. She's just working with a different unit now."

Or maybe he just buried his head in his work to much to notice. "Andrew, do you see what I'm getting at? That's not good. I thought the girl had moved or something."

The blonde studied his friend questionably. Was he missing somethi- "Oh shit!" he half shouted once it sunk in. "Darien, if Amy hears-"

"I know," Darien scowled. "Lower your voice, will you. They're only downstairs."

Andrew nodded. "So what are we going to do? I'm sure it's been spread throughout the Hospital by now. Even if Amy thinks it's just a rumor and not a fact, she'll still bring it up to Serena."

"We," Darien said calmly, grabbing his black blazer off of a near by hook. "Are going to pay little Miss Christina a visit." He looked at Andrew for any sign of protest, but none came.

"Now you're talking." Andrew exclaimed, slightly relieved that he had finally chosen to do something. He got up to follow Darien out of the room but remembered Serena's request. "Darien, before we leave, can we stop by the girls? I promised Serena I'd drop by before leaving."

Darien looked at Andrew, considering his request. Well, it wouldn't hurt, would it? And then he nodded.

Andrew practically jumped off the last step of the stairs as he went to go pay the girls their requested visit, Darien in tow. The last step on the staircase was practically avoided like the plague it seemed. Or maybe Darien was just too uptight to understand the enthusiasm behind his friends insistence to skip it.

* * *

Serena stopped her chatter with Raye once she heard footsteps approaching. She looked up to see Andrew walking out onto the patio with her husband not far behind. She looked puzzled. Couldn't he have come alone? She didn't want to see Darien, he always made things awkward for her.

"Andrew!" Raye exclaimed, getting out of her seat to greet him. The girls were no longer clad in their bathing suits, but their previous attire, seated at their patio dining set. Serena stood as well, giving Andrew a quick hug but did her best to keep her distance from Darien, who was not more than six feet away from her.

"Thank you for coming out, Andrew." Serena said lightly, as she embraced him. She stole a glance at her husband, and he was staring right at her, his face impassive.

She had to say, he had that whole stoic man thing down pretty well. She sighed. He was so absurd.

"Well I couldn't just leave without keeping my promise now, could I?"

Raye took her time looking her male companion over. Oh yes, he had the body, the looks, personality, everything. Why couldn't Serena have married him?

Stop.

She couldn't think that. Darien and Serena were perfect for each other and she loved him. That's why she married him. After all, they really were the best couple in their earlier days.

Raye glanced at Serena who looked a bit uncomfortable. Darien hadn't said a word yet, he just stood with his arms crossed, waiting. And that did make the air a little tense. Though Raye doubted Serena was hoping for anything more.

"So Raye, I hear you're a therapist now? How's that going for you?" Andrew asked conversationally, bringing Raye out of her revere.

The raven-haired woman turned her gaze on Andrew. "Yes, I am. It's going amazingly well. I really like what I do. You know, the whole helping people bit. It makes it all worthwhile."

Andrew nodded. He knew what Raye had meant by that. She rarely had enough free time for herself. Much less a relationship. After all, his relationship with Rita had failed because of his chosen career. He just didn't have enough time to spare. It was sad, but rewarding.

"Andrew," Serena piped up. "What happened to that arcade you ran when we were kids? I mean now that you're a doctor, you can't possibly do both."

He laughed at her curiosity in the olden days. But it was true; he didn't have enough time to run the old arcade anymore. "The Crown Arcade? True to your word, I don't have enough time to run that place anymore, but I still own it. I had a close friend of mine take over for me. His profession isn't an all day thing like mine. So it suits him."

Raye raised a questioning eyebrow at him. "Who exactly is this 'friend' of yours?"

The green-eyed man wasn't fazed by her penetrating gaze. She could never let go of the past. "Yes, Raye, Jadeite is the friend I'm referring to." He said, reading between the lines.

Raye scowled. "So he still has enough guts to stay around here, huh?"

"Raye-" Andrew tried to reason.

"No, Andrew." She said, cutting him off. "You know what he did. You _know._ Don't even try and make him look like a good guy. He shouldn't even be here. He should have left when he had the chance."

Andrew sighed and shook his head. "Raye, please. You were both so young. Just let it go."

Raye contemplated her options. All right, so they were young. On the contrary, she really hadn't known he was still here; maybe this was a good thing. After all, it was his choice to leave, not hers - despite it being his fault. She could convince him to let them try again, if she played her cards right.

"Fine," She said simply, receiving many baffled expressions due to her sudden change in mood.

Serena took this time to steal another glance at Darien. He was still standing with his arms crossed, his face as impassive as ever. But his eyes – they were dancing with laughter. He was mocking her. Damn him and his narcissistic self.

Andrew cleared his throat. "Well," he said as he turned to look at Darien who was still waiting patiently. "We have somewhere we have to be, so I guess this is goodbye."

Serena averted her eyes toward Andrew, momentarily forgetting about Darien. She watched as Raye said her goodbyes and gave Andrew a quick hug, then walked over to Andrew and stood silent for a moment.

"Promise you'll visit again soon." She said softly. She didn't want him to leave. Not yet. Not now.

Andrew smiled warmly at the grown woman in front of him. Years older, and she still had a part of little Serena still in her. "Promise."

She smiled and hugged him tightly; she was going to miss him. Even if they had only spent a few minutes together, it was still nice to see her old friend again. She would make sure that she'd see him more often.

Darien stared at the scene unfolding before him. Something inside him made his fists clench unconsciously as he watched his wife hug another man. This wasn't jealously. No it was far from it. It was… something else. But he didn't know what. Not that he really wanted to know, anyway. Still irritated, he shook off the thought.

As the embrace ended, Serena took a few steps back and waited for them to leave. Darien took this opportunity to his advantage and walked over to her. "We have some business to take care of at the Hospital," he explained, his face still impassive. "I'll be home later tonight after I finish what I need to."

Serena stared at him. Holy shit, he was talking to her, he was telling her where he was going to be and what he was going to do. All she could do was nod. There was really nothing she could say. Maybe he was putting on an act in front of Raye and Andrew.

"Be good." He murmured in her ear and then kissed her cheek. Darien let his lips linger on his wife's cheek a little longer than necessary.

Serena itched to feel his lips against hers but knew it wasn't going to happen. She wanted nothing to do with his loveless kisses. He was just taunting her. Knowing her weakness. There was a hole in her chest, and he made it ache.

Darien was smiling inwardly, her expression was priceless. His job was done, and with that he walked away, signaling for Andrew to follow. Satisfaction written all over his face.

Before leaving, Andrew gave her an apologetic smile. He knew Serena didn't like what just happened. Maybe it would have been better for him to have come out alone.

Once they were out of sight Serena's eyes narrowed into slits, as if by reflex. "I swear that man is set on making my life a living hell." She said through clenched teeth.

Raye turned her attention back to Serena who had her back to her, almost shaking in rage. She sighed. "Serena, just forget about it. Don't let him get to you like that."

Serena spun around to face her friend. "No, Raye. You don't understand, that won't work with him. If he wants to play dirty, we'll play dirty. He doesn't have control of me anymore, I'm doing what I want from here on out."

Serena stormed into the house, headed for her bedroom. Raye stared after her, puzzled.

"Serena," she called. "Serena where are you going?" She questioned, marching into the house and up the stairs after her.

"We," she explained, using the plural. "Are going out."

Raye reached her bedroom and saw Serena searching through the closet, throwing meaningless things about the room. She looked at the now messy room and frowned. "Serena, what are you doing?"

"Looking," Serena's muffled voice said through a pile of clothes. "For that outfit you gave me a few years back. The one I said I'd never wear."

Raye had to think about which outfit she meant for a moment. Nothing came to her. "Which outfit?"

"Ah… found it!" Serena exclaimed, pulling out a very, very small crop top and some pale white jeans. Actually, the top looked more like a bathing suit top than anything else. It was a white spaghetti strap top that tied in the front with crisscross strings, which only covered her bust and nothing more.

Raye stared at her friend, trying to process what she was about to do. "Serena… I don't think changing your attire is going to do much. If _anything_."

Serena laughed. "Raye, I'm not doing it for Darien. I'm doing it because I told you, we're going out. Shopping, to be exact. Raye," Serena said seriously. "Look at my figure. Now look at my closet."

"Okay…" Raye said, not getting her point.

"Don't you think I should have at least _something_ to show it off? Nothing too provocative of course, because I'm a mother now and Annabelle is here. But I need something. I'm only twenty-five, not fifty! Low cut shirts, flattering skirts, _something_ , Raye. I'm done living this life where I act like the perfect house wife because Darien wants me to. No, I'm living it my way now."

Raye chuckled. "Wow Serena. I never thought you'd say something like that. Usually you're into the whole house wife thing. And the clothes… well, come on, Serena. You still look _hot_ even if you're wearing just black slacks and a white button up blouse!"

"I see your point, and you're right," Serena agreed. "But, buying new clothes will… make me feel _liberated_. And maybe… Darien will actually realize what he married."

Raye frowned. So it was about Darien. "Serena, honey, come on. You have to stop this. Darien will come around whether you change your wardrobe or not. Don't do something that's going to change you if you don't want to."

Serena had to smile at her friends' observation. "Oh, but Raye, I want to do this. It'll be fun. A change in my boring, routine, housewife life."

Raye heaved a sigh and gave up. "All right, fine you can do whatever you want. Where are we going?"

The blue-eyed woman beamed at her friend. "Random places in the mall, I suppose. Anywhere that catches our eye?"

Raye nodded. "Okay, that sounds good. Are you driving?"

"Yes. It's been a while since I've driven my car. I'm starting to miss it." Serena laughed.

"Fine you can drive, but you better not drive like Mina's grandmother. I don't think I can take a whole hour of 30 mph driving."

"Raye, Raye, Raye." Serena murmured in disapproval, while she changed into her skimpy, but cute outfit. "Do you not know what kind of car I drive? I'm not sure an Audi Coupe is meant to go below 60, anyway. Don't worry, Raye," she winked. "I have a bit of a need for speed."

"On second thought," Raye exclaimed.

"Oh no you don't," Serena laughed. "I am driving no matter what. I promise to not go over 70."

Raye glared at her. "Make it 60 and we have a deal."

"Raye, the speed limit is 75 on the highway! I can't go 15mph under the speed limit." Serena protested.

"Fine," Raye scowled. "But I better make it home today. If we die, I'll kill you in heaven."

Serena burst into a fit of laughs. "Okay Raye, you do that."

Serena finished getting dressed and slipped on a pair of white strappy black heels. They were out the door and into the garage in record time. Both were excited to actually be doing something fun together.

"Wow Serena, I love your car." Raye murmured in appreciation as she looked over the silver Audi directly in front of her.

"Thanks." Serena said as she got into the drivers seat, Raye slipping into the passenger seat beside her.

"Liberation, here we come." Serena said excitedly as she drove out onto the driveway and out the gate, headed to their destination.

 _End Chapter 4_

* * *

I know, you're dying to read Chapter 5. I promise it will be uploaded as soon as I get off of work tonight. And I promise it's worth the wait, you'll love it.

\- _xoxo, Crys (08.14.16)_


	6. Chapter 5

One review in particular has prompted my response; as it was anonymous, I'll reply here. The review was about how Raye spoke to Serena about her problems, something was said along the lines of "therapists don't act like that". Let me clear a few things up, Raye is first and foremost, Serena's best friend. She's not going to sit in a chair opposite of Serena, with a pair of glasses on the bridge of her nose, and act professionally. Might I add, there is a substantial difference between a Therapist, and a Psychologist. Raye is not a Psychologist, she is not there to psychoanalyze Serena. Therapists are more laid-back, and tend to develop friendly relationships with their clients, to encourage trust and open communication. Raye was portrayed exactly as she should have been. I, myself, have been to therapy before, and I am also a psychology major. The scene was described as it should have been.

To everyone else, thank you for reading! Here's Chapter 5! I decided to split the chapter into 2 separate chapters, so 5 is no longer as long as it once was. But that just means chapter 6 will be posted much sooner than expected, and it will be a long one.

\- _xoxo, Crys (08.14.16)_

* * *

"Picture Perfect"

Chapter 5

Darien was very confident and a bit self-righteous, but Andrew had made him wonder on their way over to the hospital to see Christina... What if Serena did find out? What if Amy had already heard the news, and planned on telling Serena herself? Serena and Darien had been through so much together and made it through just fine, so he always assumed she would stay with him no matter what, but would she really? They had been through a lot as a couple, but infidelity was never a problem before, and it would definitely be crossing a line in his wife's eyes. He was so aggravated with her lately, that he didn't really care what she would choose to do had she ever found out. Or so he told himself. The only thing that concerned him, was the thought of his daughter. His reason for waking up every morning, his purpose for living. He couldn't bear losing Annabelle over Christina. Sure, Serena had probably assumed he was cheating on her, being that he never touched her anymore, or cared to sleep in the same bad as her, but she didn't know for sure. She had no proof.

Truth is, he didn't care for his secretary; he felt nothing toward her other than lust. She was the hospital slut, always after the highest paid male doctors, mainly for their money. She was a tasteless girl; what society would refer to as a ruthless gold-digger. She didn't care what the mans relationship status was; that wasn't her problem. That problem belonged to the wife or girlfriend of the unfaithful man she seduced, simple as that. If she really liked the man for more than his money - if that day ever came, because it hadn't yet - then of course she would take things into her own hands, and find a way to get rid of the wife/girlfriend, but she wasn't much for emotional attachments. She was about money. All about money. Money never woke up with a change of heart the next morning. And becoming the secretary of the highest paid doctor in the region, Darien Shields, seemed like a godsend when she needed it most.

But, of course, Dr. Shields would be married to - and have a daughter - with his high school sweetheart. Christina often found herself obsessing over the handsome doctor; he was the whole package. Gorgeous, intelligent, mysterious, and he was a bit of a dick. She remembered how he had dryly stated that he was just in her company for sex, and nothing more. Normally, she wouldn't have been offended, because every man was a game to her, the hunt for a winning lottery ticket. But the way that Darien had said it so abrasively, without hesitation, really irritated her. Who was he to use her for sex? That was her job, not his. She says when, where, and who. She wrote the rule book on this. But Darien was different than the others - he took control. It was his way, or no way. And she found that she liked that. She was very, very intrigued by his dominance… Darien Shields could be the very man she never knew she wanted - because she never wanted anyone.

* * *

Darien weighed his options on what to do about Christina, as he pulled into the hospital employee parking lot, with Andrew occupying his usually empty, passenger seat. He wasn't sure if he could be civil with the woman. Damn her and her big mouth. He had made himself perfectly clear the night before that he was married, and that he did not want the hospital knowing about their private bedroom affairs. He usually kept work, work. He didn't care to pursue or flirt with any women at the job, because he had no interest. His career was his priority. Women outside of the hospital were one thing - but inside those hospital walls he made sure to generally behave himself. Nothing was more important to him than his professional reputation. This woman had clearly misunderstood him, and he had to fix that.

Darien glanced over at Andrew, who was silently waiting for Darien to say something, to say anything. He'd been quiet the entire ride over, evidently lost in his thoughts. When he didn't speak, Andrew chimed in. "Darien, are you sure you want to do this here?" the sandy-haired man questioned, breaking the ebony-haired man's concentration. "You don't know her that well, what if she causes a scene when you confront her about spreading rumors? She's obviously not the professional type."

A smirk seemed to make it's way across Darien's features, as he looked over at his companion, considering his concern. "Andrew, I wouldn't dare approach her inside the hospital." he explained, "I do not acknowledge her presence at work, and I damn sure would never come in on my personal day to acknowledge her then. Just be patient."

Darien glanced over at the clock on his dash, it was 11:59 am. Christina would be out shortly, to take her 12 o'clock smoke break. No one ever came down to the employee parking lot during their shift, because it was a ways away from the rest of the hospital. Christina, for whatever reason, liked her privacy. She liked solitude. So she came down here everyday, to smoke her cigarette in uninterrupted peace.

Like clockwork, Darien gestured to the employee entrance door as the clock struck 12; sure enough, Christina appeared, lighter and cigarette pack in hand. "Stay here," Darien said as he watched the realization flash across Andrew's face. "Time to nip this in the bud." he finished, opening his car door and stepping out, eyes intent on his secretary who had yet to notice him.

Andrew debating getting out of the car, he knew how Darien could be and he had a feeling he wasn't going to approach the subject very lightly with Christina. He wasn't one to beat around the bush, and quite frankly, it was his way, or no way. Christina had over-stepped a boundary and pissed Darien off, running her mouth around the hospital about how she finally nagged the famous Darien Shields, a married man. Whatever the outcome of this, it wouldn't be good, Andrew knew that much. But he did as he was told, and remained in the car, watching the scene unfold before him.

* * *

"Christina," Darien called out as he approached the auburn-haired woman.

Startled, Christina jumped at the sound of her name. She hadn't expected him to be there, he did after all take a personal day. "Darien, it's nice to see you," she said, putting her now forgotten pack of cigarettes in her pocket, taking a step towards him. "What brings you here, I thought you were taking a day to yourself?" she questioned uneasily, noticing his icy gaze. He had explained the night before that he was talking a personal day, he needed time to bounce back from the loss of his patient. So why was he here?

"Cut the shit," Darien spat, irritation evident in his eyes. "I made myself clear last night before anything happened, that it was to be kept private. That no one at work was to know. Why is it that I'm hearing you've told several people what we did last night?"

Christina looked Darien over, hesitant to reply. His fists were clenched at his sides, and his jaw was tight. Why was he mad at her? She was single, she didn't do anything wrong. "Excuse me," Christina started; she wasn't intimidated by him. "But I've done nothing wrong. Who cares if a few people at work know? It did happen, didn't it? Surely you remember how good it felt-"

Before she could finish, Darien cut her off, seething. "I have a daughter, and I am a married man," he said dangerously close to her face, mere inches away from touching her. "Some of our colleagues happen to be the friends of my wife." he said through clenched teeth. "What happened between us was a one time thing, it'll never happen again."

Christina stifled a laugh. "If that's what you need to tell yourself Darien, fine. But," she said, shoving him out of her face. "Realize that this _wife_ you speak of, clearly isn't doing her job if you needed to come to me and my bed. This _wife_ you speak of has none of your respect, seeing as you had no problem _fucking_ another woman, breaking one of your most precious wedding vows to her. This _wife_ you speak of clearly not does have your love. Who cares if she finds out?"

"I care. My relationship with my wife is none of your business, Christina. I also have a daughter to worry about." Darien paused, amusement in his eyes. If she wanted to play dirty, he could play dirty too. "I screwed a meaningless whore, who has no respect for herself; the kind of woman no man would ever dream of marrying. The kind of woman men avoid. Why don't you spread that around the hospital?"

Christina shook her head, laughing. She didn't care about marriage or love. "Darien, don't blame me for your actions. I won't be the downfall of your marriage, you will. Your opinion of me is irrelevant. Run along now," she said, waving her hand to dismiss him. "Go play the perfect husband."

Darien grabbed her wrist, fuming over her cocky attitude and attempt to dismiss him. "You better clear this shit up. Tell everyone you lied, that you didn't really sleep with me. That you just wanted it to get back to me, so that you could get my attention." he squeezed harder as she tried to pull away. "Do not fuck with me, Christina. Remember who your _boss_ is; I'd hate to have to file a sexual harassment suit against you, spreading rumors about things that aren't true."

"Things that aren't true?" Christina said, incredulously. "It's all true, every word. You'd never get away with it."

Darien chuckled maliciously, letting go of her wrist. "You seem to forget, Christina. I am _Darien Shields_ , the best doctor in this entire region, 4th in the nation. Married man with a beautiful baby girl. My credentials are impeccable, and all of our colleagues admire me. I grew up around the majority of these people; who do you think they're going to believe?"

The auburn-haired woman just stared at him, disbelief spread across her features. She knew Darien was an asshole, she could tell by the way he impassively carried himself, but she never thought he would threaten her job. It was her livelihood, she couldn't lose that. She could tell by the grip he still had on her wrist that he was serious - it wasn't a threat, it was a promise. And she knew he was right, they would all believe him over her. Darien had a scandal free past, she, however, did not.

Christina knew when to choose her battles, and this was one she knew she could not win. She would let him win this one; she would say whatever it was he wanted her to say, she would lie to everyone. For now. What Darien didn't realize, forcing her into such an agreement, was that he had just started a _war._ And you know what they say… all's fair in love and war.

"You're disgusting, Darien Shields. You don't even deserve to _have_ a wife, much less a daughter. Look how you treat women." she spat her words like venom, "Little does Mrs. Shields know the true man she married."

Darien found humor in her displeasure, it gave him some kind of sick satisfaction. "My wife knows me just fine, thank you." If she wanted to play hardball and throw low blows, he was ready to knock her down. "Lets be honest, Christina, _you_ wanted _me._ I rejected you countless times, you're nothing more than a worthless whore, I knew it from the start. Now you're just pissed off that I'm the one in control, not you. As for my wife, don't act like you don't wish you were her. Don't act like you don't wish you'd be the one to have that diamond ring on your finger. After all," he said, taking a step closer to her, "Weren't you the one who suggested we role play husband and wife last night?" he murmured in her ear, before letting out a vindictive laugh that sent chills down her spine.

She hated him. Absolutely loathed the cocky son of a bitch. He wasn't who she thought he was at all and it made her feel a familiar sense of disappointment. This was why she didn't do emotional attachments. Men were never what they seemed to be. For a brief moment, she had been jealous of Mrs. Shields, but now she just felt pity for the woman.

"You've made me late for work, Dr. Shields. My break was over ten minutes ago," Addressing him by his professional title, Christina was done with his game. "I'll do you this one favor, and retract what I said. I'll do as you say, and lie to everyone. Tell them I did it to get your attention. But don't think this is over, because it's only just begun." she scowled, her face twisted in utter disgust, as she turned her back to him and made her way back through the employee entrance.

The game was just beginning, and he was in for a rude awakening.

Andrew sat in silence as Darien reentered the car. He had watched the whole situation with Christina unfold from the car. He couldn't help but wonder if Darien treated Serena that way - if he ever actually intimidated her with force. Just the thought had pissed Andrew off; he knew his best friend had changed lately, but the man he was currently sitting next to seemed to be the complete opposite of the man he grew up with. He was beginning to think it was more than just typical marital issues between Darien and Serena, but it wasn't his place to pry. He wasn't one to be nosey, so he never asked. He just knew they were having problems and they weren't getting along. He just hoped Darien knew where to draw the line during his arguments with Serena.

For his sake. Not hers.

* * *

Much to Raye's dismay, it had taken them half of the time that it should have to get to the mall. Serena had a lead foot, and any protests from her raven-haired passenger were purposely ignored the entire ride. The woman should've never been given a license; her need for speed was too real.

"Serena," Raye called into the dressing room, patiently waiting outside for her friend. "How does it fit? Let me see!"

Raye had sent the blonde into the fitting room with a black halter top dress, curve-hugging and mid-thigh. She wanted a new wardrobe, but nothing too drastic, and the dress fit perfectly. It was just the right length, given her long legs, and it was backless as well, but in a modest way. It had been designed with a sense of class; the fabric was silky, wrinkle-proof, and from the tag, easy to care for. She felt good in it; it gave her boobs just the right amount of lift, and hugged all of her curves in just the right places - she even had a nicely shaped butt - something that had been hidden ever since she had become a mother. She looked, and felt, like a real woman in the dress. It complimented her so well.

"I absolutely love it!" her raven-haired companion practically shouted, as soon as she had stepped out of the fitting room. "Serena, you look so sophisticated… and sexy."

Serena felt herself blush. She did look really nice in the dress. It definitely made the top five, out of all the attire they had already purchased. This was their last stop, and they had struck gold.

"I'm buying it." she said triumphantly, giving Raye a 360 view as she spun.

"If you weren't, I was." she laughed wholeheartedly. They usually had different taste in clothing, but the dress was a real winner.

Serena couldn't help but wonder what Darien would think of the dress - what he would think of all of her new clothes. She now had countless dresses to show off in. But she knew better than to think a simple dress would woo her husband. He had to be stimulated by much more.

"I'm shopped out," Serena started to complain after purchasing the dress, "I need food."

"Oh I know! Lets go to Lita's new restaurant downtown, she and Nephrite run the place together, it'd be good to see them."

Serena grinned excitedly and nodded in agreement, not needing to think twice about the decision.

Lita's cooking was unrivaled, and with Nephrite at her side to help her, there was no doubt her food would be scrumptious. Two years ago they had opened an Italian café downtown together, and it had completely taken off, so much so that they had to relocate to a bigger space and turn their little café into a full blown restaurant. Investors had tried numerous times to buy the restaurant from them, offering them each hundreds of thousands of dollars, but neither would allow it. They would never allow their dream to be manufactured into a mediocre chain restaurant. No. _La Cucina Italiano_ would remain one of a kind.

 _End Chapter 5_

* * *

If you hadn't figured it out yet, the scouts and the generals will be a part of this story, paired accordingly. The girls are all close friends of Serena's, and the boys are all close friends of Darien's. Lita and Nephrite will have some of the spotlight coming up!

\- _xoxo, Crys (08.14.16)_


	7. Chapter 6

I would just like the point out, that I will be using the generals Japanese given names, instead of their English names. The only one with a noticeably different name is Kunzite, as his English name is Malachite. I just prefer their Japanese spellings, as opposed to the English variations. Also, I've decided to keep each chapter around 2,000-3,000 words, so that updates seem more frequent.

To the anonymous guest, displeased with the way that I portrayed Raye, you are entitled to your own opinion, just as I am entitled to end the debate, because I don't own any explanations. If that's the only thing you dislike, then I'm sure you can overlook it.  
 **SMSM92** , thank you for your support on the subject!

As always, be sure to leave a review. I'm already expecting Darien haters after this chapter. It will get worse before (if) it gets better.

\- _xoxo, Crys (08.17.16)_

* * *

"Picture Perfect"

Chapter 6

Serena sat opposite of Raye, in a comfortable private booth in the furthest corner of _La Cucina Italiano_ , absentmindedly twisting the diamond ring on her left hand with her thumb. She was excited to see Lita and Nephrite, but she was also a bit uneasy. Lita had no clue about Serena's deteriorating relationship with Darien, because she had yet to tell anyone aside from Raye, but she couldn't help wondering if perhaps Nephrite knew about it. He was always sweet to her, and much like Lita, always there when she needed someone; but he was, above all else, one of Darien's closest friends. She knew she couldn't tell Lita if Nephrite was in their presence, because he would certainly contact Darien about it, and in doing so shed light on the fact that Serena was telling outsiders about their "personal business", as Darien would put it. She was wise enough to know his reaction would not be a good one, and she wasn't ready for another confrontation.

"Oh my god! Serena! Raye! I can't believe you're here!"

Both of the women instantly snapped their heads in the direction of the voice they had grown to love and knew all too well to whom it belonged. "Lita!" both girls greeted in unison, getting up to hug their friend.

Serena noticed Nephrite not too far behind Lita, making his way over with a genuine smile plastered on his face. "Serena," he smiled, as he gave his wife's best friend a tight hug. "It's been too long."

Serena found herself nodding in agreement. She hadn't seen much of her friends over the past 7 months; she spent most of her time with Annabelle, or fighting with Darien. Her husband was right when he said she never left the house. Her self-esteem had taken a tumble when she and Darien had started to drift apart, and without realizing it she had closed herself off from the rest of the world.

"I know, I'm sorry Nephrite," Serena apologized, "I've missed you two so much!"

"We've missed you too, Serena; how's my Annabelle?" Nephrite questioned, eager to hear about his favorite little girl.

Serena smiled softly. "Still daddy's little princess, cute as ever. She has Darien wrapped around her little fingers, even more so than she had you."

Nephrite let out a small chuckle; he had been there for Serena's delivery, and the moment he got the chance to hold Annabelle in his arms, he fell in love. Even though she wasn't his, he was completely smitten with the girl, always willing to help Serena and Darien when they needed a hand with her, or someone to baby-sit back when they still had periodic date nights.

Nephrite had wanted a baby of his own ever since he had married Lita years ago, but unfortunately for the couple, they had found out that Lita was unable to carry to term, after months of trying and two miscarriages. None of their pregnancies had made it passed 8 weeks. They could still get pregnant, but it would have to be through a surrogate mother. That was the plan, eventually; but right now they decided to stay focused on their careers. When the time was right, they would seek out a surrogate to carry for them.

Lita and Nephrite had been around so much during Serena and Darien's first few years with Annabelle, that she had known them to be family. They weren't blood related, but to Annabelle, Lita was her aunt, and Nephrite was her uncle. Her favorite uncle, to be exact. Serena and Darien wouldn't have wanted it any other way; they really were a family. All of them. Lita and Nephrite, even Raye and Jadeite, despite the fact that they were no longer together as a couple. Amy and Zoicite had moved to the states almost immediately after graduation, to study medicine in America, so they weren't around much until they moved back to Tokyo and started working at the hospital Darien worked at. Still, they had drifted apart some, always busy with their own lives. Mina had been in London with Kunzite for the last year, working on her modeling career, but ever so often, they would face-time Serena and Darien, making sure Annabelle was with them to say hello, distance being no measure of their love for the little girl.

Annabelle was the first and only baby in their group, so she was spoiled with love and affection not only from her parents, but also their closest friends. No other girl her age had the support system behind her that she had; she wouldn't realize it until she was older, but she was very lucky. She would never have to question whether she was loved or not.

"Don't think we've forgotten about her birthday next month, either. Lita and I have already started putting together a catering menu." the man said cheerfully, excitement shining in his chestnut brown eyes. They had always been in charge of the food whenever their group had an event. "Lucky for us, she has an appetite like her mother, so we've already prepared for the sugar coma."

Serena smiled warmly at Nephrite. He was always so good to them. Lita had married a rare gem, and they truly belonged together, much like she and Darien had once upon a time.

"Hey!" Serena playfully smacked his shoulder. "I've gotten a lot better with my eating habits over the years!" she decided to defend herself, gesturing to her empty salad bowl on the table behind them, the one that she and Raye had previously occupied.

"Serena, he's only kidding," Lita interjected, rolling her eyes at her now laughing husband, who looked at her innocently, shrugging his shoulders. Nephrite had taken the place of Darien when it came to teasing Serena, but they both knew it was all in good fun.

"Hey, do me a favor and tell Darien I said to call me, will 'ya?" he asked, returning his attention back to Serena. "It's been awhile since I've heard from him."

Serena promised Nephrite that she would relay the message, making up an excuse that Darien had been super busy with work as of late, and that was probably why he hadn't heard from him. But she didn't actually know why they hadn't been in contact lately. Darien just wasn't much for having company at their house anymore, and she had no idea what he did during his spare time. She just knew he never spent it with her.

Several moments later, Nephrite gave the girls one final hug and said his goodbyes before heading back to the kitchen, where one of the chefs had requested his assistance. The restaurant they had opened together turned into a gold mine, it was always high volume. Lita assured him that she would be back shortly to help him as well, as soon as she was finished chatting with Raye and Serena.

The three women hadn't spoken about much other than work and family; ever so often they would reminisce about their high school days. Serena wasn't ready to tell Lita about her martial problems just yet; she didn't feel like burdening the woman; it would've put her in an awkward position, because she was Serena's best friend, and her husband was Darien's best friend. She didn't want Lita to have to choose sides.

A half an hour or so later, Serena promised Lita she would face-time her later in the week with Annabelle, so that she could see her, before she and Raye said their goodbyes and made their way back to her house, small chit-chat engulfing Serena's car the whole way home. Opening up to Raye, and then seeing Lita, had definitely brightened her mood.

* * *

The blonde patiently waited for their front gate to open, before pulling up their drive and taking note of the fact that Andrew's car was now gone. She frowned sadly. All that was left was Raye's crimson red Escalade, and that was about to be gone too, as Raye had gotten an emergency call from one of her clients on their way back home.

Serena watched her garage door slowly open, and once again felt uneasy as it had revealed that Darien's jet black Porsche was parked there, on his usual side of the garage. He was home. And Raye was about to leave her to deal with him alone. She sighed, pulling into the garage and leaving it open for Raye to exit her car, and transfer into her own. She felt a pang of sadness as she hugged her best friend goodbye, silently cursing whomever the client was who needed her so badly.

Finally letting the garage door close, she popped her trunk and grabbed all of her shopping bags from earlier that day, hauling them into the house, and up the stairs to her bedroom where her walk-in closet was. Darien had been in his office, with the door cracked, and either failed to acknowledge her presence, or was so wrapped up in his work that he hadn't heard her pass by.

After quickly hanging up her new clothes and putting away her new shoes, Serena made her way downstairs and into the kitchen, headed for their wine cabinet. They had an extensive wine collection in their home; Darien liked whiskey, and she absolutely loved wine, it helped her to relax.

Grabbing a bottle of merlot with one hand, Serena reached for a wine glass with the other. Not hearing anyone approach her from behind, she shrieked loudly when she felt two strong arms snake around her waist, accidentally letting go of the wine glass she held in her right hand. Her heart was pounding.

"Why didn't you tell me we were going to have company over today?" the figure murmured in her ear.

Serena stiffened, she knew who it was. "It wasn't planned, it was last minute, I'm sorry I didn't-"

Darien laughed, tightening the hold he had around her waist. "I told you before that I don't like anyone coming over without my knowledge," he continued in her ear, "and what the hell are you wearing?" He had definitely noticed her bare midriff and tight jeans the instant he saw her. She had taken her heels off, but forgot to change her clothes.

"It's just something Raye gave me awhile back." she explained, trying to unwrap his arms from around her waist, so that she could clean up the broken glass, but to no avail, Darien refused to let go. Why on Earth was he touching her?

"You look like a slut." he scowled, disgusted. "Are you trying to make me mad, going out in public dressed like this?"

Serena mustered up all of her strength and courage before turning in her husbands arms and shoving him away from her. Before she could think twice, she had smacked him in the face, enraged that he would call her such a thing. She was the furthest thing from a slut.

Darien took a step back, startled by his wife's response. Serena could've sworn she saw a tiny flash of hurt spread across his eyes, but it was quickly covered by rage. She had never hit him before.

"Darien, I didn't mean to-"

Serena gasped as Darien interrupted her apology, by aggressively shoving her back into their refrigerator, with his hand around her neck. He hadn't noticed that Serena had started silently crying, fear evident in her eyes.

"Don't you _ever_ put your hands on me again, Serena." he said dangerously low, anger clouding his judgment, as he held his wife in place.

"Darien…" Serena whimpered, looking up at him with pleading eyes, and tear-stained cheeks.

Now noticing that she had begun to cry, Darien's gaze softened, and the grip he had around her neck loosened. He hadn't meant to be so aggressive with her, he was just so angry that she had smacked him. It had been the second time today that he had made her afraid of him, and he was briefly ashamed of his actions, but he quickly rationalized with himself and put the blame on her. It was her fault for provoking him. She shouldn't have hit him.

"Clean this up." he muttered, releasing her completely and avoiding her gaze. "Annabelle will be home soon." he finished, turning his back to Serena and exiting the kitchen, leaving her to clean up the broken glass.

When Darien was out of sight, Serena slumped down onto the kitchen floor, her head in her hands, sobbing. Darien had heard the sound echo off of the wall as he made his way back upstairs, but he chose to ignore his wife's sobs. He wasn't going to feel bad for reacting after being hit.

 _End Chapter 6_

* * *

I know, I know, you guys hate Darien at this point... he's an ass. And it's only going to get worse.

As always, thank you for reading, and be sure to leave a review/feedback.

\- _xoxo, Crys (08.17.16)_


	8. Chapter 7

It took a little longer than I had planned for this chapter to come out, and for that I'm sorry!  
On the bright side, it's the longest one so far.

Be sure to leave feedback! :)

 _\- xoxo, Crys. (08.28.16)_

* * *

"Picture Perfect"

Chapter 7

Darien sighed and let out a deep breath as he turned the corner, stepping into the bedroom he shared with his wife. He hadn't slept in the same room as Serena for a couple of weeks now, but he wouldn't go as far as removing all of his belongings into a separate room, for fear that Annabelle would notice.

They were experiencing one of the roughest patches they had ever had as a couple, but his heart would break if Annabelle ever found out. He wouldn't be able to handle her knowing this side of him. He couldn't handle breaking his daughters heart over the way he was now treating her mother. From his perspective, he wasn't wrong, his actions were justified; but there was no way anyone else would see it that way.

Contrary to what people assumed, before Darien's parents had gotten into their car accident and passed away, much like himself and Serena, they didn't always get along. His father had a terrible temper, and his mother purposely provoked his fathers bad side. They fed off of each other in the most awful ways. Though despite their dysfunction, Darien loved his parents as if they had no flaws.

But once he got older, he began to understand the toll that it had taken on him; growing up in a dysfunctional household. That type of environment conditions you to be either the abuser, or the victim of abuse. Neither position being healthy for either party. He didn't want his daughter to have to witness what he had as a child.

Sighing once more, Darien removed his blazer as he stepped into their shared closet. He took note that Serena had obviously gone shopping while he was out confronting Christina with Andrew earlier that day; the price tags dangling from the sides of various dresses, blouses, and bottoms giving that way. Serena believed in retail therapy, and seeing as the day they had had so far, he was going to let her have this one. Her spending habits would be a conversation for another day.

Money wasn't an issue, they were wealthy, but it was Darien who made all of the money. Serena didn't work, but she had no problem spending money. So this would just be ammunition for their next argument.

Grabbing the nearest empty hanger, he hung up his blazer, slowly heading back to his office. It was 2:30pm, his daughter would be arriving home in the next half hour. He wondered if she would ask him why he hadn't been there to tuck her in last night, or why he hadn't been home this morning, either. If he was lucky, she had already forgotten. That, or she would be too excited from seeing her father home before she got home from school, to even care to question him.

* * *

A half an hour had gone by, and Serena remained slumped pitifully on the floor, back against their fridge, head in her hands. She didn't know who her husband was anymore; he was so full of aggression and hatred that she couldn't recognize the man she vowed to spend the rest of her life with anymore.

The man that left her sobbing on their kitchen floor was not the man she fell in love with, he wasn't the man she married; her Darien would never do the things this man had done to her. Darien looked at her with love, and admiration. The man she shared a home with now, looked at her with only loathing and indifference.

Serena wanted so badly to ask him what it was that had broken him so terribly that he had changed so drastically, but she was terrified to do so. Raye was absolutely correct, when she stated that Serena needed to talk to Darien. They needed to put their animosities' out on the table, and they needed to communicate about what was bothering the two. Darien was bitter, and hateful. Serena was heartbroken, and scared.

Wiping away her tears, the blonde forced herself to get up. Annabelle was due home shortly, and she still needed to clean up the shards of broken glass still littering her kitchen floor. Frowning, she grabbed the unopened bottle of Merlot and placed it back into the cabinet. Quickly grabbing a broom and dustpan, she carefully swept up the broken wine glass, making sure to get even the tiniest of shards, leaving no strays behind. The last thing she needed was her daughter, or worse, Darien, stepping on left over pieces. She'd never hear the end of that one.

Serena glanced at the chrome clock hanging from their kitchen wall, and was shocked to find that it was now 2:55pm; Annabelle's bus would be arriving in approximately five minutes to drop her off. She hadn't meant to spend so much time crying over Darien, he certainly didn't deserve her tears.

Hurrying up the stairs and into her bedroom, Serena quickly changed into something more appropriate - a pair of jean shorts and a plain v-neck tee, before slipping on a simple pair of flip-flops. She was in no mood to put on her standard slacks or blouse.

She could see Darien inside of his office, with his phone glued to his ear, peering out of his window, in the direction their daughters bus would come in, as she made her way back downstairs and out the front door. Darien really, really loved their daughter. More than anything in the world. Serena used to be his everything, but now it was Annabelle. That didn't make her jealous or mad though, she had matured so much so that she was grateful over how much Darien loved their daughter.

As she approached the sidewalk entrance gate beside their driveway, right on time, Annabelle's bus appeared. Serena smiled at she watched her daughter exit the bus and wave goodbye to all of her friends. She had taken after her mother, and was quite the social butterfly.

"Mommy!" her daughter exclaimed, excitedly making her way over to her mother.

"Hi, angel! I missed you so much." Serena said lovingly as she crouched down to her knees, embracing her daughter into a hug; before grabbing her backpack and heading back to toward their house, hand in hand.

* * *

Upon reaching their home, Serena wasn't surprised to see Darien patiently waiting at their front door, his eyes avoiding her gaze and focused on Annabelle.

"Daddy!" Annabelle squealed, shrugging out of Serena's grasp and running towards her father. "You're home!"

Darien smiled widely, knowingly opening his arms to catch the most precious girl in his life, as he knew all too well the leap she was about to make into his awaiting arms. "Hey, princess," he murmured as he pecked her on the cheek. "I'm so glad you're home! I was beginning to get lonely without your smiling face."

Annabelle laughed, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Silly daddy, you still had mommy here to keep you company until I got home!"

Serena now looked at Darien, who was staring back at her. He smiled at her, but it didn't reach his eyes. "I know, and mommy's great company, but I missed my little princess!" It was all show for their daughter.

' _Could he be anymore condescending?'_ Serena thought angrily. She wasn't the least bit impressed with his act. She knew he no longer enjoyed her company. It hurt her to see such a loving look in his eyes, as he looked at their daughter. He clearly still had love in his heart, just not for Serena.

"Annabelle, honey," Serena interrupted, making her way around them and into the house. "why don't you tell daddy what you did in school today? I'm going to make us some lunch, okay?"

"Okay, mommy!" she chimed, watching her mother make her way to the kitchen from over her fathers shoulder. "Oh, daddy! We read a new book in class today!"

"Really? What book?" he questioned, truly interested in hearing about his daughters day. He had already closed the front door behind them, and was making his way into their large living room, with his daughter securely in his arms.

"Uhm… I can't remember the name of the book, daddy, but I remember some man named Doctor Zues wrote it!"

Darien laughed lightly, "Is that so, sweetheart?" he hadn't the heart to correct his daughter, and explain that the author had really been Dr. _Seuss._

Annabelle shook her head 'yes', feeling triumphant for remembering the writer. "It was about eggs and ham." she paused, a distasteful frown forming on her lips. "Daddy, I don't think I would like _green_ eggs and ham… I think they would be gross, I prefer mommy's."

"I don't think I would like them much either, Belle's." using her nickname, he carefully unwrapped her arms from around his neck, and positioned her to sit in his lap, as he lowered himself onto one of the three couches in their living room. "I think I would prefer mommy's too." That part wasn't a lie, he actually did enjoy his wife's cooking. Becoming a stay at home mom had given Serena some time to practice her cooking skills, and he wasn't disappointed.

* * *

Serena stood silently, leaning against their kitchen counter, overhearing her husbands conversation with their daughter. She couldn't help but giggle at her daughters mispronunciation of Dr. Seuss, and it had made her smile when Darien didn't correct her. He really was a good father, like he was just born to be one.

Darien was a different man around Annabelle; he was the man Serena married. The original Darien. But Serena wasn't going to let his paternal side cloud her judgment. He was that man for their daughter, not for her. A half an hour ago, his hand was around her neck, and that was something she wasn't willing to just forget about.

"I don't know what's happened to him…" she murmured quietly to herself, tears rising in her eyes.

Shaking it off, Serena swiftly moved to their pantry and their refrigerator to grab the ingredients for her daughter and husbands lunch. She hadn't much of an appetite, given her escapade with Darien, and her early lunch with Raye at Lita's. She was just going to make them their usual daddy - daughter snack; a simple grilled cheese sandwich, but with american cheese and provolone cheese.

For whatever reason, it was their tradition whenever Darien just happened to be home to have lunch with Annabelle. It took Serena less than ten minutes to make them, so she couldn't complain. She liked simple dishes; that meant less mess to clean up.

Grabbing a knife out of their silverware drawer, she cut both sandwiches into triangles, before placing them onto two plates, and making her way out into the living room where she could still hear her daughter telling her father about her school day.

"Lunch is ready," Serena said, as she approached the couch her husband currently occupied with their daughter, handing them both a plate.

"Now, what do you say, Annabelle?" Darien gestured to their daughter. He took pride in teaching his little girl proper etiquette.

"Thank you, mommy!" Annabelle chimed, smiling at her mother.

"You're welcome, baby." Serena mused, leaning down to kiss her on her forehead. "If you two need anything, I'll be in the kitchen cleaning up." she explained before making her way back into their kitchen, ready to tackle the frying pan and spatula she had just used. Easy clean up.

* * *

Darien had spent the last 45 minutes bonding with Annabelle after they had finished their lunch, and he could tell by the glossy look in her blue eyes that she was tired, and that meant she was ready for a nap.

"All right, little miss," he softly murmured lovingly into her ear, as he picked her up to cradle her in his arms, "it's time for your nap." she was half asleep before he even reached the stairs.

Darien briefly passed by their downstairs study on his way, and saw Serena look up from the book she was reading, nestled into a comfortable arm chair in the corner of the room. "Nap time?" she seemed to mouth to him. He nodded simply, answering her unspoken question, and continued on his way up the stairs and into her bedroom.

It was effortless for him to pull down her duvet cover and balance her in his arms at the same time. He then carefully laid her into bed, pulling the duvet back up to cover her small body. She was almost completely out, slightly shifting position to get comfortable.

Darien brushed a few loose strands of jet black hair out of her face, and caressed her right cheek. "Sweet dreams, princess." he whispered, leaning down to kiss her left cheek. "I love you."

Turning to leave, he faintly heard the sound of running water begin, so instead of going back downstairs, he turned toward his bedroom, curious.

* * *

Reaching their bedroom, he realized that Serena had gotten in the shower while he was putting Annabelle down to nap. Their bathroom door was cracked half way open, and he could see the steam beginning to build.

' _I haven't had the chance to shower today,'_ he thought to himself, as he opened the bathroom door entirely now, before making the decision to close it behind him.

Darien saw his wife's naked figure in the foggy glass of their shower door, and felt something inside of him spark, so he quickly undressed.

"Do you mind if I join you?" he said without thinking, as he opened their shower door and took a step inside. He felt odd asking the woman he married if it was okay to shower with her.

"Darien!" Serena screamed, startled by his unexpected presence.

"Shhhh!" he said, putting a hand over her mouth. "Annabelle's sleeping now."

Serena instinctively flinched at his sudden touch, most likely due to their encounter earlier that day. Darien had noticed, and dropped his hand from her mouth.

"You couldn't shower in another bathroom, really?" she snapped, regaining her composure. "It had to be this one?"

"Well, this is my bathroom, so…" he shrugged, grinning viciously. They still used the same bathroom, even if they didn't always sleep in the same bed. It was habit more than anything. But normally they had used it at separate times, not together.

Serena glared at him, trying hard not to take notice of his naked body. She was still very physically attracted to her husband. He was built like a God, after all. What was she going to do anyway, tell him no? To get out? She didn't want to see his temper flare anymore than it already had today.

"Fine, whatever." she mumbled, quickly rinsing her hair of the conditioner that was still in it. She had been in the middle of washing her hair when Darien suddenly interrupted her. "Switch spots with me." she said, pouring soap onto the loofah she now held in her hand.

Darien obliged, switching positions with her, so that he could wash his hair, and she could wash her body thoroughly. He took note of the shape she was in. She was a little skinnier than usual, but still attractively fit. He hadn't noticed her weight loss before. Truth was, it had been months since he had seen his wife naked.

Neither spoke as they continued their shower; they had switched once more, so that she could rinse off, and he could lather his body in soap. Shortly after, they swapped places again, so that Darien could rinse off, and she could shave her legs.

He watched silently as she ran a razor along her long legs, it seemed she was in a rush, too much of a rush toward the end. He barely had the time to react when she sliced open the skin on her left calf during her last stroke, and nearly plummeted to the shower floor. It wasn't just a simple nick from the blade, she had actually sliced her skin. The sight of blood had always made Serena uneasy and very light-headed.

Already knowing what was about to happen, he quickly wrapped his arms around her from behind, catching her fall. "Take a deep breath." he said as he felt her strength give way, leaving him to support her body entirely. She was on the verge of passing out. Some people just couldn't handle the sight of blood, especially if it was their own. "Deep breath in, deep breath out." he coached her, tightening his hold on her so that she could focus more on listening to him and staying conscious.

He felt her chest rise and fall with each command he gave her, and he felt her slowly regain her strength shortly after. She was capable of supporting herself now, so he released his hold on her.

"Don't look at it, I'll get a bandage." He went into Doctor mode, turning off the water and stepping out to get a first aid kit from underneath their bathroom sink.

Serena did as she was told, and didn't look down to see her injury. She was so stupid, she had been rushing to get out of the shower and away from Darien. If she had taken her time, this wouldn't have happened.

He came back, first aid kit in hand, with a towel wrapped around his waist and handed her a towel. "I need you to sit on the counter so that I can bandage it." He said now emotionless; Darien was a lot taller than she was, and he wasn't about to get on his knees for the woman.

Wrapping the towel around her damp body, she stepped out of their shower and made her way over to the counter, before hoisting herself up onto it. Every hair on her body stood up as he took a hold of her calf and lifted it so that her leg was straight out, before proceeding to disinfect and bandage the wound. He was meticulous and swift in his actions.

"Thanks…" she whispered, barely audible, as he finished aiding her.

He felt her eyes on him, and avoided meeting her gaze; instead he looked passed her, with an impassive expression. "Be more careful next time. I won't be here to do this for you. You're a grown woman, Serena." he said, gesturing to her now perfectly bandaged cut.

Before she could say a word, he was already moving away from her and on his way out of the bathroom, into their bedroom, no doubt to put clothes on. She stared at the spot where he had been just moments ago, confused as to what had just happened. His actions were kind, but demeanor cold.

* * *

So, how did we like it?  
Chapter 8 will be posted in the next few days, I promise!

As always, thank you for reading, and don't forget to review/leave feedback.

\- _xoxo, Crys. (08.28.16)_


	9. Chapter 8

_Hello my beautiful, wonderful fans!  
_ _I know that it has been awhile since I've updated this story, and for that I apologize. I was... directionally challenged, if you will. Couldn't quite decide if I wanted to stick to my original plan for this or not. Luckily, it is all figured out! So again, I apologize for the wait, enjoy chapter 8!  
\- xoxo, Crys (08.28.17)_

* * *

"Picture Perfect"

Chapter 8

"Dr. Grey, would you be able to tell me where Mrs. Dr. Grey is at the moment?"

The blonde haired, green-eyed gentleman that had been addressed, reluctantly looked up from behind his desk, away from the patient file he was reading, and raised an eyebrow at the unexpected visitor now standing in his office doorway. "Uhm, I'm not too sure, Miss Thompson," he paused briefly, "I believe she may be helping out in the ER at the moment."

The auburn haired woman nodded, a mischievous smirk covering her lips. _'So that's where she is'_ ; the one place she failed to check.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" he pondered, knowing his wife was probably too busy at the moment. "Or is it specifically Amy that you need?"

"Oh, no, no don't worry about it." her eyes danced, as she turned to leave. "It's not that important, just wanted to talk to her is all. Thank you, Dr. Grey."

"You're very welcome." he said after her retreating form. _'What does Darien's assistant want with Amy?'_ he thought to himself. As far as he knew, Amy had never even spoken to her. Naturally, Zoicite found it odd that Christina was in search of her, considering Amy and Darien worked in completely different areas of the hospital. ' _What a weird woman.'_ the doctor thought to himself.

* * *

"Darien, I almost forgot to tell you," Serena called into their bedroom, brushing her blonde locks in front of their bathroom mirror. If he was going to act indifferent, then she was too. She would act like their shower together had never happened. She was going to beat him at his own game.

Darien was pulling a simple black v-neck tee over his head from their closet, when he heard her address him from the bathroom. "What is it, Serena?" he rolled his eyes, annoyance evident in his tone.

"I spent some time with Nephrite this afternoon," she explained, purposely leaving out the fact that Lita had also been in their presence. Sensing her husbands irritation, she continued nonchalantly, leaving him to wonder. "Anyway, he just told me to tell you to call him, he said he hasn't heard from you in awhile."

Darien froze at the mention of his old friend, Nephrite. He had been so busy lately with work and this pestering Christina woman, that he hadn't taken into account the fact that he had unintentionally isolated himself from his friends. Living a double life had the tendency to do that.

He knew that Serena and Nephrite had developed a special bond after Annabelle was born, and Darien used to be grateful that a man other than himself had appreciated the person his wife was, but at this moment in time, the only emotion that came to his mind was unease, and a slight territorial pang of possessiveness over Serena.

Darien wasn't going to back down from this one. Not a chance in hell. "Don't you think it's a little inappropriate to be spending time with a married man, Serena?" Darien shot back at her. "Especially dressed the way you were? Jesus Christ, Serena, he is one of my best friends, or have you forgotten that?" he asked, slamming their closet door behind him.

Serena glared daggers into the mirror in front of her, and purposely dropped the hairbrush that she was using so that Darien would hear the loud clatter from its impact with the bathroom sink. She knew she would provoke some kind of response from him by making it seem as though she and Nephrite were alone, but it was evident that she wasn't quite as ready for his smartass retort as she had originally thought.

"He's my friend _too_ , Darien. As a matter of fact, he's married to one of my best friends, as you well know. I don't know what you're trying to insinuate, but I'll stop you right there." she quickly snapped back. This was the second time today that he had implied she was a less than respectable woman.

Darien heard the loud clank when the brush made contact with their sink, and he had clearly heard her response, but he didn't care to respond any further. He would let that comment weigh on her. In fact, he ignored her, as he finished getting dressed into his night clothes. He was aggravated, pissed even.

Serena had come around the corner by this time, still clad in her damp towel, and had brushed passed him to reopen their closet door so that she could grab a nightgown. She was visibly flustered, he could tell by the look on her face and the rosy hue of her cheeks. The woman wore her emotions on her face, she could never hide anything she was feeling from him.

Growing up, Darien had always thought to himself that he would never be the man to cheat, no matter how bad the relationship had gotten. It was unacceptable, no excuses. Nothing could justify potentially hurting the person you love. Cheaters were weak, pathetic people. And going against everything he believed, he evidently ended up becoming one of those people - the ones he saw as weak, pathetic excuses for a spouse. Was it right? Was it wrong? At this point in time, he wasn't sure. But if he himself had become something he never thought he would have, the same could go for Serena. For all he knew, she could've cheated on him multiple times throughout their marriage - he was never home enough to ever find out about it if she did. Granted, Darien knew deep down, that Nephrite would never betray him or Lita in that way, he still did feel that all too familiar feeling of jealousy at the thought of Serena spending time with another man; friend or not.

Serena Shields was a beautiful woman, and he knew that. Her beauty had been one of the many reasons he had given her his last name. She could still have any man that she wanted, whenever she wanted. And if she wanted to, she could replace Darien in a heartbeat. He knew that, and she knew that. And vice-versa. He was chiseled and sculpted to perfection, built much like that of a God, and she had the curvy figure of a Goddess, and the face of an angel to match. Neither one of them would have a problem finding other people, if need be.

"I'll be in my office," he called over his shoulder as he turned to leave their bedroom, unmoved by the fact that Serena had now dropped her towel to the floor, and was slipping into a silky black nightgown, just outside of their closet. Whatever sexual curiosity seeing her naked body in the shower had sparked in him, was now gone. A mere fleeting lustful attraction.

"As if I would ever expect to find you anywhere else." he thought he had heard her mumble under her breath, as he exited the room.

* * *

Darien shuffled through some old papers on his desk, not looking for anything in particular, but for something that would keep his mind busy; he hadn't had the time to organize his home office in ages, so that's what his goal was. Just a small task to keep him busy and away from his wife.

Serena had gone back downstairs, probably to continue reading the book she was engrossed in before he put Annabelle down to nap, or to do something else; he didn't care to imagine what. She had irritated him too many times in one day, so he found solace in his own private space.

While fumbling through some loose papers, he accidentally knocked over one of the two picture frames he had perched on his desk. The raven-haired man couldn't help but take notice of the picture in the frame he had placed on the corner of his desk, next to his telephone. He hadn't really, _really_ looked at the photo the frame had held for so long in awhile. It was a matte black frame that encased a candid photo of himself, Serena, and Annabelle just after she was first born. Serena had tears in her eyes, and Darien was looking down at his two girls in complete awe. They both had been so happy when she was born; that baby girl had become the center of Darien's world the second she came into the world. Back then he had wanted nothing more than to be the perfect father and husband to those innocent blue-eyed girls in the picture. That one photograph had captured his entire heart, and his entire world, in just one snap of a lens.

Before he realized the subconscious movement, he found himself absent-mindedly brushing his thumb over his daughter in the picture, smiling.

Annabelle Shields had become such a well-mannered little girl, and he was so proud of her for becoming just like her mother. Despite their differences, Serena was a damn good person, he couldn't deny that; and that sweet, carefree, loving little girl she gave birth to had made him want to have another child with her seemingly perfect mother.

It emotionally and physically pained him that Serena had experienced a miscarriage with what would have been their second born child in the year prior. At the time they both were very distraught, and at first Darien was supportive and he was there for Serena emotionally, but that pain he felt eventually turned into something else - it turned _him_ into something else. Something very dark, and very malicious. But he wouldn't allow himself to think about that right now. He _couldn't._

Without even realizing it, Darien had already leaned back in his chair to grab a bottle of whiskey that he had on a nearby shelf. Next to the bottle, were small rocks glasses, and so he grabbed one. He wouldn't be needing the ice at this point, just the whiskey. He liked it straight up anyway.

Interrupting his now troubling thoughts, Darien heard the faint buzz of his cell phone vibrating on his desk, bringing him out of his revere. Setting his glass of whiskey down, he reached for the device, noting that he had received a text message from an unknown number. Curious, he clicked to open it.

'Darkness will always come to light; nothing stays hidden forever.' he read the message to himself twice over, puzzled.

'Who is this?' he wrote back. ' _What the hell?'_ he thought to himself. That was an odd text message to receive out of the blue.

Less than a minute later he had already received a reply. Peering over the brightly lit screen, he furrowed his brow. 'Just your conscious saying hello.' the second text read. He had never received random text messages on his personal cell phone prior to this; himself and Serena both had their phone numbers unlisted for privacy purposes. His business phone was listed, and he received random calls and text messages all the time, but never on his personal cell phone. Very few people had his number, and the ones that did were either family or close friends.

Not in the mood to deal with what was probably some high school student texting the wrong number by accident, he sent a ccurt reply, 'You have the wrong number, sorry. Please do not text me again.' and set the phone back down, reaching out for his glass of whiskey once more.

 _Buzz buzz_. Another text message, from the same unknown number. Sighing in aggravation, he picked up the cell phone and opened his inbox to read what it said. 'Maybe I'll text your wife instead.'

"What the fuck?" he found himself saying aloud. 'What are you talking about-' before he had the chance to send his reply, the phone vibrated and lit up once more, with yet another text message.

'I'm sure she would love to know what you've been up to lately.' it read.

The dark blue-eyed man just sat there, staring at his phone, incredulous.

What was happening? Who was this random person texting him? And did they know about his infidelity? Christina had spread the rumor, but then retracted it hours earlier - could someone have really believed her? Or was the person on the other side of these text messages just bluffing?

At twenty-nine years old, Darien Shields was not about to play some anonymous text message game with some stranger that could possibly not even know for sure what he had done; if they even knew anything at all. And if it was Christina toying with him, he would find out sooner or later.

'Have a good night.' was his last reply, before blocking all contact with the anonymous texter. He was already on his third glass of whiskey - at this point he had a good buzz going - and he knew better than to keep replying. Darien was already annoyed with the day, this person didn't know what they were at risk of provoking.

It was quiet for several minutes before he heard the familiar sound of his wife's phone chime from an incoming text message downstairs, breaking through the silence. ' _You've got to be kidding me!…'_ he thought to himself, while hastily getting up from behind his desk, quickly heading in the direction of the soft chime.

Serena could either be a) away from her phone, b) ignoring her phone, or c) opening her text messages right now to read them. His heart began to pound at the thought of the last scenario. If that crazy anonymous texter had really been serious and reached out to Serena, God only knows what she could be reading right now.

Did Darien Shields just dig his own grave?

 _End Chapter 8_

* * *

 _Now, as I'm sure you can tell, this story is about to heat up and things are about to get really bad, really quickly.  
What did Christina want with Amy? And who was this anonymous texter? What does that text on Serena's phone say?  
Leave your guesses/ideas in your review and we'll see who has the best idea of what just happened.  
Questions? Concerns? Suggestions? Voice them in your review!_

 _\- xoxo, Crys (08.28.17)_


	10. Chapter 9

_Hello Lovelies!_  
 _You guys better love me for this, because I was not going to post this chapter without remaining parts, but I figured you all had waited long enough.  
Plus I think it'll be better on its own, as its taking a trip into the past, shedding some light on things and how they used to be.  
As always, read and review. Feedback is always welcome._

 _-xoxo, Crys. (09.12.17)_

* * *

"Picture Perfect"

Chapter 9

Darien had made his way downstairs only to find no sign of his wife - she wasn't in the kitchen, living room, or her study. To his surprise, even though the house seemed empty of her presence, her cell phone was found face-up on the small end table next to her reading chair that she had previously occupied earlier that day. He had only noticed it, because it had chimed once more. Another incoming text message.

' _God help the person on the other end of that phone.'_ he fumed to himself. He was tired of this game already. It wasn't that he felt bad for cheating, because he didn't. He knew what he was doing, and he made the conscious choice to have sex with another woman. It wasn't an accident. It happened because he wanted it to happen. But he would be damned if anyone but himself told his wife that he fucked his secretary. That was his place to tell Serena, _if_ he ever did tell her.

Quietly peering around the corner with those dark blue midnight eyes, Darien made sure Serena wasn't going to sneakily pop into the room to catch him in the act, before he made his way over to her phone and hit the home button. As the screen lit up, he noted that she had two unread text messages. Darien knew that the moment he opened her phone, that the name and/or number would be revealed, but he also knew that he had no way of marking them as unread again. It wouldn't matter anyway thought, right? Considering he would definitely just be deleting the texts and blocking the random number like he had on his own phone, so that they could no longer pester himself or his wife.

Ready to get things over with, Darien pressed the home button to access her home screen, and then tapped on her inbox. One message thread had popped up, and by the looks of it, both text messages were not from that same random number harassing his personal cell phone, but from their good friend, Lita - she was thanking Serena for stopping by the restaurant earlier that evening, hoping to see her again soon. ' _So she wasn't alone with Nephrite after all… what a deceitful bitch for trying to put that thought into my head.'_

Annoyed, and although breathing a sigh of relief, Darien deleted the thread from Lita. There could be no evidence that he had her phone. There was no way for him to change the messages from read to unread, and he wasn't about to get caught snooping through her phone unwarranted. If she were to see those text messages opened, there would be no denying it. He was the only one in the house, aside from their daughter, and Annabelle knew better than to touch mommy or daddy's phone. He would be caught, and then questioned.

Exasperated, he placed her phone back down where it was, making sure it was exactly as he had found it before he exited her study. Curiosity had gotten the best of him, and instead of making his way back upstairs to his office, he found himself continuing to search for his wife. He knew she wasn't upstairs, and she evidently was not downstairs either. It was now dark outside, but outside was the only other place she could be. So he brought himself to their front door and flicked on the outside lights; nothing. From what he could see, she wasn't out there. To be sure, he quietly opened their front door to peer outside, stepping into the night. She wasn't anywhere in sight. Furrowing his brow, he went back inside and closed the front door behind him, locking it for the night.

* * *

Serena hugged her robe tight around her body, as she felt the slight chill of the night air brush against her skin. Alone, and deep in thought, she sat at the edge of a large pier, a ways down from the pool house behind their home, her bare legs dangling off the dock, just above the lake water. Everything was so peaceful and quiet around their home at night. It was serene, placid.

Serena hadn't come out to this spot very often anymore; it held too many good memories with her husband. One memory in particular, that had torn her heart out over and over again. But tonight she had found herself drawn to it, in need of a getaway from her husband. He was being a self-righteous bastard, and she wanted no part of it. She almost wished he hadn't come home at all. She would've preferred to have been interrogated by their six year old daughter as to why her daddy hadn't come home, rather than threatened and abused by the man.

The beautiful blonde took a long, deep breath, preparing for whatever came next, as she let her memories completely take control of her mind. She needed to stop repressing the hurt, the anger, and the guilt that she felt. She was turning a good memory into a bad memory, and that just wasn't fair.

 _ ***Flashback***_

" _You are, by far, the most beautiful woman that I have ever laid eyes on, Serena Shields..." she felt her husbands warm breath tickle her skin as he lovingly murmured into her ear, his arms snaking around her waist from behind her. She let a soft, surprised chuckle escape her lips at the feel of his touch, her breathing quickening in response._

 _It had been a fairly long day, the couple had just hosted an annual charity gala for the hospital that Darien worked for, and all of his colleagues were in attendance, thanking him for his hospitality and frequently commenting on how utterly stunning their home was. The charity had been a success, and Darien had just said his final goodbyes to the last of the guests exiting their home._

 _In search of his wife, he walked outside into their backyard; it didn't take long for him to spot her. Now alone, standing at the edge of their pier, Serena had been watching the sun set from what he could tell; that was their thing. Whenever they had the time, if Darien was home from work in time, they would watch the sunset together from the private pier behind their home that Darien had built for his wife, specifically for moments like this. It was a beautiful sight, like something out of a movie._

" _And you, Darien Shields," she spoke softly back, turning in his arms to face him, "Are by far, the best man that I could have ever hoped to have married."_

 _Darien smiled, as he leaned in to lay his forehead against hers, both completely forgetting about the sun setting before them. "I don't think you understand how much I love you, Sere…" he breathed, the sweet smell of whiskey present on his breath. "You are literally my everything."_

" _I understand perfectly what you mean, because I feel the same exact way." she murmured against his lips, teasingly. She could feel his heart quicken against her chest, as she struggled herself to remain composed. "I love you more than words." she managed to say, before she felt his grasp on her tighten, fiery passion burning in his eyes._

" _Say it again." he pleaded, almost in a whisper, as his fingers traced the bottom hem of her dress against her thigh._

" _I love you, Darien."_

 _And at the sound of her second proclamation of her love for him, Darien gave in, feverishly hoisting her up into his arms, as she wrapped her thighs tightly around his waist and his lips caught hers. He carried her over to a nearby patio set they had occupying one side of their pier, consisting of a large outdoor sectional and some small tables. He managed to sit down carefully, as his wife continued to straddle his hips, leaving a sweet trail of lustful but passionate kisses down her neck, over her breasts, and into her cleavage, as he pulled down her strapless cocktail dress, exposing her milky white skin._

" _Make love to me," she begged, as his teasing started a fire in her that she could no longer control. She wanted him so badly. Whimpering, she pressed her lower body against his, feeling the hardness beneath his pants, and slowly but forcefully, started to move against it. He let out a soft moan before complying with her demands, and hiking her dress up above her waist. He was surprised, but also intrigued to see that his wife wasn't wearing any panties._

" _I'll do anything you want me to, and then some." he smirked, as he shifted position and laid her on her back, wasting no time before spreading her legs open, giving his head full access to her most sensitive spot. If he was going to make love to his beautiful wife, he was going to do it right, not skipping anything that would give her pleasure._

 _ ***End Flashback***_

Looking back over her shoulder, to the spot where her would-have-been second born child was conceived, Serena felt something inside of her break all over again. Her heart ached for the unborn child, and slowly broke at the memory of that night with her husband, and love that child had been conceived from. Madly and deeply in love, the two knew exactly what they were doing when they made love that night, underneath the stars. It was no surprise when they found out that Serena was pregnant with their second child. Back then, they were blissfully happy, and could not get enough of each other.

As if like clockwork, she heard something approach from behind.

"What are you doing out here?" she heard the familiar voice ask, causing a thump to form in her throat.

 _End Chapter 9_

* * *

 _All right, I didn't go into detail with the sex scene, because that's not my forte.  
I hope none of you found that disappointing!  
On the bright side, since this chapter was basically cut in half, chapter 10 will be out in no time.  
Feel free to leave any feedback/opinions on where the story is going.  
_

 _\- xoxo, Crys (09.12.17)_


	11. Chapter 10

Hello dearies!  
It's been awhile, I know. I've been so busy with work that I haven't had the time to dedicate to updating this story as frequently as I had originally planned. But fear not, this story WILL continue, and it will someday come to a finish. This chapter isn't as lengthy as I had wanted it to be, but I felt that you all would rather have a short chapter, than no chapter at all. To all of the Darien fan girls out there... buckle up, because you're about to hate him, if you already don't.

As always, leave a review, feedback, ideas, etc.  
Also, feel free to throw some suggestions as to what characters you'd like to see make an appearance. I'm definitely debating on some Seiya and Diamond, to heat things up a bit. Whether they're from the past or new comers is up for debate.

 _xoxo, Crys. (10.26.17)_

* * *

"Picture Perfect"

Chapter 10

Serena Shields slowly shifted her gaze to acknowledge the voice that had come from behind her, royal blue eyes meeting piercing midnight blue for no more than a split second. "I was just thinking…" she trailed softly, turning her back once more, toward the breath-taking view before her. "that's all. What are you doing out here?" She hadn't any energy left over from the stressful day to say anything more. Not that she owed him an explanation for being where she was, regardless.

"You're going to catch a cold being out here at this time of night dressed like that." the figure stated plainly, motioning to her satin night robe, currently catching in the night breeze. "I don't want her getting sick."

The blonde let out a sarcastic chuckle; of course, it wasn't about her own personal well-being. He didn't care about that. It was about Annabelle's. She was her mother, and she spent the majority of her time with her, so if she caught something, their daughter would inevitably catch it as well. Always the caring father, right? No longer the loving husband, it seemed.

With irritation evident in her voice, she spoke once more, not as soft this time. "What do you want, Darien?" She had come out here to be alone, to be free of her husbands criticisms', and constant verbal abuse. This was a painful, but special place - to them both - and she didn't want him tainting it with some pointless argument over whatever he could manage to pull out of his ass at the moment. He was good at that, as of late - picking fights with her.

Much to her surprise, he didn't respond to her right away. For a second she thought that maybe he didn't hear her, maybe he had tuned her out - until she turned to face him and he murmured something along the lines of, "Nostalgic, isn't?" as he looked off into the nights sky, a distant look in his eyes that seemed to mask something deeper. He had said it more to himself than to her.

As they stood in momentary silence, the wind had blown another soft breeze, she could smell the hint of whiskey on him, instantly causing her to frown, and her heart to race. _'He's drunk and he wants to fight…'_ that was all that flooded into her mind at that instant. There was no other reason for him to be anywhere near her.

Feeling Serena's eyes on him, Darien snapped out of his revere, trying to forget a moment of the past he had been currently lost in. But he couldn't, and it was like his mouth moved without his permission. "Do you remember the last night we spent out here?" he questioned, his eyes dark, expression unmoving.

Serena felt her breath catch in her throat, as she almost choked on it from surprise. He wouldn't meet her gaze, but in that moment she felt as if they both felt the same thing - the ache in their hearts that had started almost a year ago. The ache that never healed, because they never spoke about it. "Darien-" she started, but she didn't know what to say to him. She didn't know what was safe to say, and what wasn't. She didn't know what he wanted her to say, and she didn't want to say the wrong thing, for fear of consequence.

After her hesitant pause, he took the moment to speak. "I want this pier removed." there was an undeniable sense of authority behind his statement - it wasn't a request. "As soon as possible. We don't need it anymore. We don't use it. It serves no purpose."

"Darien!" his wife now yelled angrily, as he turned away, heading back toward their house. "Darien Shields! Over my dead body! You will not have this pier removed, nor will you say that it serves no purpose!"

Ignoring her, he continued to make his way toward their home, refusing to explain his reasoning. He didn't need to. "We spent nearly every night out here on this goddamn pier after it was built, Darien! It is a part of our home, you bastard, don't you dare ignore me!"

The petite blonde was now chasing after him, trying to reason with him as they were about to reach the steps of their home. He was still ignoring her, intentionally. He didn't want to hear it. He was pissed off that he had found her out there, of all places, when she could've been anywhere else. Neither of them had visited "their" spot anymore, or so he believed. Being whom he was, Darien wouldn't dare show her what he was really feeling at the moment.

"Hey!" she called out once more, by this time she had caught up with him and had grabbed his forearm, jerking him around to face her. They were at the top of the steps, about to enter their home.

Startled by the action, and the force behind it, he looked at her with incredulous eyes. "Serena-"

"No! Please, please jus listen to me." he barely heard her whisper, as he watched tears well up in her eyes, nearly spilling over her bottom lash line. "Please don't. Please don't tear it down. If there is anything that I have ever asked of you, please do not do this."

She was begging him, but he couldn't continue to look her in the eye anymore. He knew it was selfish of him to want to rid their home of that spot. He knew what it stood for, and the memories it held. The pain, the anguish - he knew what she was feeling. He didn't know whether it was the whiskey that softened him or the words she spoke next, all he knew was that he would never be able to go through with it.

"Darien, please, whatever this is, whatever we're going through, do not bring this into it, do not bring that memory into it." her last murmur was barely audible, "He deserves more than that."

She had taken it too far, without realizing it. She had put a face to the memory, when they had both discussed never wanting to know - somehow she knew, and she used it against him just now.

"No!" he shouted, pulling away from her, now void of any sympathetic emotion that he had momentarily felt. That was it, he was livid - she had crossed a line. "How fucking dare you, you bitch! We agreed-"

"I know!" she cried as she clung pleading to her husband. "I know we agreed not know the sex, to never speak of it because it will only make things harder, but Darien you've-"

From that moment on, she would never forget the sound that was made - a resounding clap through the night air. Before she could finish telling him that he needed to let it go, to move on with his life, with the family he had in front of him, Serena felt her husbands palm make contact with her left cheek, followed by the unfamiliar sting of the hit. He had slapped her, before she even knew what was happening.

He had slapped his wife so hard that she had almost lost her balance and her footing, but she managed to catch herself in time, avoiding another painful blow with their back steps. With shock written all over her face, she backed away from the man she no longer recognized as her husband, and started to sob uncontrollably, her hand now covering her red cheek.

With no time wasted, Darien had already reacted by stepping closer to her and pulling her into his chest as she let her legs give way beneath her. He cupped his hand over her mouth as she cried. "Shhhh. Serena, stop, Annabelle is going to hear you. Shhh." he pleaded in a stern, hushed voice. He did not want their daughter to know what had just happened. He hadn't meant for it to happen.

He lost his temper, and whether he would ever admit it to himself or not, was up for debate. All over learning that the baby they had lost just 9 months prior, was actually going to be his first born son.

Though the doctors knew the sex of the baby, Serena and Darien had agreed to wait until the baby was born to find out. They wanted to keep it a surprise. After the miscarriage, however, they had both agreed to not want to know the sex of the baby. It would make things that much harder. Serena evidently didn't keep up her end of the agreement, because she knew it was a supposed to be a boy. Their first son.

"Stop it Darien!" she protested in between sobs, against his chest and the hand that cupped her mouth to hush the deafening sound. "Don't touch me, let me go! I hate you!" she was now delivering weak blows to his chest, with closed fists over and over again, but he felt nothing but numbness.

He hadn't meant to hit her, especially not that hard, but he lost control. His mind went blank and he blacked out. He did yet another thing, he promised he would never do. Not only had he cheated on his wife, but he had hit her. He had hit her hard enough to know damn well it was going to show on her face tomorrow morning.

"I'm sorry," he whispered into her ear, over and over again, as he rocked her back and forth against his chest, still perched on the steps, waiting for her tears to subside.

But Serena didn't care, those words meant nothing to her. He wasn't sorry, he was intoxicated, and she knew that. He was only sorry that it could've possibly woken up their daughter, and his perfect daddy image would've been shattered.

Serena was motionless in his arms, partially in shock, even though she had stopped crying. Darien didn't know what to do, so he did the only thing he could think of. Carefully picking her up, heading into the house and up the stairs to their bedroom, he laid her down on their bed.

Making sure the door was locked behind him, he reapproached the bed where his wife laid. She quickly turned over, her back facing him, unwilling to meet his eyes. Sighing, he ran a hand through his unruly ebony hair.

"Just tell me you don't love me anymore." he heard the crack in his wife's voice as she said it, still not facing him. She couldn't. She wouldn't.

She needed to hear those words. That Darien no longer loved her, that the man she married was gone and he wasn't coming back. Anything to help her understand why the love of her life had just smacked her.

"Serena, it was an accident." was all he could manage to say. _'It really was an accident,'_ he mused to himself, _'she shouldn't have said what she did and this would've never happened.'_ He would tell himself anything to justify his poor actions.

Serena didn't say anything more, as she felt the pain in her chest swell, and her heart shatter. Clinging to one of their pillows, she muffled her cries beneath it. She felt the mattress shift, as her husband took a seat at the edge of their bed, adjusting to his weight.

He didn't know what to do or say to the woman before him, and as he reached out to place his hand on her back, he felt her flinch. Quickly drawing his hand back, he stood up from their bed, unable to face her.

"Serena, you can't tell anyone."

And there is was. Her husbands number one concern: His reputation.

 _End Chapter 10_

* * *

Darien... I don't even know where to begin with him.  
Is he a monster? I don't know. A shitty husband? Absolutely. A lost cause? I guess we'll have to see.

Review review review.

 _xoxo, Crys. (10.26.17)_


	12. Chapter 11

_Guess who's back?! I'm so sorry I've been gone so long, guys._ _I got so caught up with working full-time and going back to college full-time (it's been five years, and I'm finally back in college! With straight A's, might I add).  
_ _Now, before you get all hyped up, this chapter is a bit of a short one, but it's just to give you something to read in the meantime. I'm working on bigger, better chapters with a lot more drama that can't be cut short - but I couldn't leave you guys with nothing. I know as a reader myself, sometimes you can be dying inside while anticipating the next chapter to a story._

 _You know the drill: Read it, think it over, review it._

 _\- xoxo, Crys (03.30.18)_

* * *

"Picture Perfect"

Chapter 11

Sighing heavily, Darien carefully sat beside his daughters sleeping form, on the small full-sized bed that was placed in the center of her bedroom. Now illuminated only by the hallway light that was shining through the open doorway, he couldn't help but admire her innocence. He was grateful to be able to provide Annabelle with any and everything that she needed - as his own childhood was much different. If it wasn't for finding Serena, and for marrying her, Annabelle wouldn't exist. He would probably have another child with another woman, sure, but it wouldn't be Annabelle.

The ebony haired man hadn't known what to say to his wife about what he had just done, and to no surprise, she wasn't speaking to him because of it. His last request of not telling anyone never got a response out of her. She just continued to cry softly into one of their pillows, and refused to let him touch her. A small part of him wanted to hold her, and maybe take her pain away - if not ease it a little bit. His alcoholic buzz had him slightly bipolar, he knew that. But the larger, stubborn side of him, reiterated that what had happened was more her fault than his. He was provoked, after all; she played dirty.

Beside him, Annabelle was still asleep, unmoving. Stroking her head, he tucked a small strand of loose hair that had fallen into her face back behind her ear. He couldn't help but take notice of how much the little girl looked like Serena. She had his gorgeous midnight blue eyes, and his dark ebony hair, but her facial features and structure were most identical to her mothers. They had made a beautiful child together, him and his wife. He remembered the day she was born just like it was yesterday, and he would never forget it.

 _ *****Flashback*****_

"I'm right here with you, baby, just push!" he remembered feeling her grasp on his hand tighten significantly, with each new push. Their daughter was almost there, the crown of her head clearly visible - only a few more deep pushes and she would be born into their world.

Breathing heavily, he watched as his wife bore down with all of her strength, for one last big push.

"That's it Serena," the doctor had encouraged, "keep pushing! Don't let up, she's almost out, just a little harder honey! Just like that! Good job, keep going!"

As he stroked Serena's hair with his free hand, and firmly kissed her forehead in support, he felt her grip loosen and heard a small gasp of relief escape her lips; in response he quickly turned his attention to her pelvic area, where he saw his daughter now fully slipping out, effortlessly. Her last big push had paid off; their princess was finally here.

Now in tears, he momentarily turned his attention to his wife, letting her know just how proud of her he was. "She's here, Sere, you did such a great job, baby. I love you so much." he had murmured in between small kisses against her lips.

"I love you too, Darien." she had managed to choke out, in between sobs of happiness. They had both waited so long for this moment, and now it had finally come. They had a family.

That day, Darien's heart had grown in size by double. The love he had for his wife in that very moment, would always be undeniable. And the love he felt after seeing his daughter for the first time, would only continue to strengthen as he watched her grow. He was madly in love with both of his girls - the now two halves of his heart.

 _ *****End Flashback*****_

Looking down at the peaceful expression on her sleeping face, he couldn't help but to remember that day. The day that his life had changed entirely - the day that the once orphan child had a real family to call his own.

"Annabelle, honey," gently shaking her, he tried waking her - she was usually up from her daily nap by this time.

He received a stubborn groan in response. "Belle's… you haven't had dinner yet, you need to wake up."

"Daddy, I'm not hungry." she said in response, carefully wiping the sleep from her eyes. "Please let me go back to bed."

"Annabelle..." he mused, attempting to sound stern. He was always like putty in her hands - she was his greatest weakness, and no matter how old she would eventually get, it would probably never change. She would always be his little girl. His princess.

"Please, daddy, I'm so tired." she was now looking up at him, with those beautiful midnight blue eyes, eyes that she had inherited from him. Now he knew what it was like to have to answer to those deep blues. He knew, the first moment he laid eyes on those innocent orbs, just exactly why Serena could never say no to him when they were younger. "I promise I will get up earlier tomorrow for a big breakfast. Please, daddy?"

A small smile had managed to creep onto his lips, as he listened to his daughter try to bargain with him. He couldn't blame her for wanting to sleep, that was exactly what he wanted to do at the moment. The day had been exhausting for him. He knew as well as she did that he was going to cave and give into what she wanted.

"Do you promise to eat a big breakfast in the morning?" he asked softly, already tightly tucking her comforter in. He knew when to choose his battles, and this wasn't one. If she was tired, then he would let her sleep. He hadn't the appetite to eat anyway, and he doubted that Serena did either.

"Of course, I promise." she whispered, already halfway falling back asleep.

* * *

After hearing Darien finally leave their bedroom, Serena took a moment to regain her composure, and in doing so allowed her tears to subside. She was still hurting - emotionally, and physically.

Darien Shields was supposed to be the love of her life, he was supposed to protect her through thick and thin, always and forever. No matter what. Their happily ever after, their "forever", was starting to look bleak. This man, this emotionally and physically abusive man, was not her husband. He was not her Darien, and she didn't know how much more she could take of this man.

If nothing else, she knew that the next time he laid a hand on her, she would not just sit there and take it. She would fight back, because she was not and would never be a doormat or a punching bag for any man.

Lightly caressing her left cheek, curiosity sparked, and she soon found herself climbing out of bed, heading toward their bathroom mirror. Her cheek was still a little sore, but from what she could see, it didn't look as if there would be any visible signs - at least not until the morning. Even then, it shouldn't be too hard to conceal. Maybe a small bruise, but nothing a little makeup couldn't fix.

' _How embarrassing that I have to actually use concealer to cover up something on my face other than dark circles.'_ she thought bitterly, ' _Because my husband is apparently not only a liar, but a woman-beating piece of shit, too.'_

"It seems I really did win the jackpot." came her sarcastic drawl aloud, as she moved back to their over-sized king bed, she took the extra steps out of her way to lock their bedroom door. She had had enough of her husband for tonight. Her life was starting to look more like a nightmare, not the dream she had oh so often pictured with Darien growing up.

Not having gotten much sleep the night before, due to her husband not coming home, Serena was now exhausted. After the day she had, and after the hell Darien had put her through, she wanted nothing more than to fall into a deep sleep and not wake for hours. Slipping beneath the heavy comforter on their bed, she turned on her right side, purposely avoiding her left cheek, and let sleep take over her mind, and her body.

Tomorrow was a new day, and even if it didn't end up better than this day had, she was ready to leave this day behind.

* * *

Hours had passed, and it was now quarter to eleven. Darien sat behind his desk, replaying the days events over and over in his mind. Annabelle was asleep once more, and his wife had evidently locked herself in - or himself out - of their bedroom for the remainder of the night. Though it made no difference to him; if he had really wanted to, he could easily find and use their bedroom door key to get in. They had spare keys placed about the house, in case Annabelle were to ever accidentally lock a door. But he had no desire to retrieve the key nor enter their bedroom any sooner than he absolutely had to; he would let his wife be, and just sleep in one of the guest bedrooms for the night. Nothing he hadn't done before.

Sitting alone in solitude, Darien couldn't help but to think back on what Andrew had said about Serena possibly finding out about what he had done. In his eyes, and her eyes, cheating was nearly impossible to forgive - they had established that long before marriage. Their beliefs were mutual; but now that Darien had broken their vow, and there seemed to be a stranger threatening to expose the doctor to his wife. Admittedly, he couldn't help but wonder if that belief would hold, or if Serena would make an exception for him… just this once.

Of course, he would try everything in his power to keep Serena from finding out, but he knew better than to consider that a guarantee. He was a powerful man, but there was only so much that he could do to keep things from his wife.

No matter how clouded or how busy his mind was, Darien couldn't erase the terrified expression that his wife had shown him each and every time he approached her earlier that day from his mind. She was scared of him, and he didn't quite know how he felt about that. Part of him felt remorse, the other part of him felt something else entirely, he just couldn't put his finger on what it was just yet.

A good man would feel nothing but shame, right? He put his hands on a woman whom he swore his life to - the same woman he vowed to love until the end of time, the very woman he promised to protect from any and all harm.

But it seemed that now, Darien was the danger. He was the one thing hurting Serena.

 _End Chapter 11_

* * *

 _Review, review, review!  
_ _I'm open to suggestions and ideas.  
_ _I wonder who this "stranger" is that claims to know what Darien has done?  
Furthermore, how exactly do they know?_

 _\- xoxo, Crys (03.30.18)_


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